Transmission #31 from Tycho (Lunar Learnings)

"Whenever I found out anything remarkable, I have thought it my duty to put down my discovery on paper, so that all ingenious people might be informed thereof." Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - Dutch Biologist

Phase of the Moon today: Waxing Crescent

Above is a picture of the bulletin board in my classroom, as a teacher I enjoy sharing what I learn with my students. The quote above describes some of my feelings about the Geology of the Moon course I have just completed: "remarkable." I have gone from someone not knowing very much about the Moon to someone that can describe and explain the many geological processes that have helped form it. I could explain to my students why the Moon phases occur, and the movement of the terminator. I now know that we see more than 50% of the lunar surface due to librations. I can discuss how the Moon has become tidally locked to the Earth the reason being the systems gravitational force is unbalanced due to the Earth and Moon not having a constant diameter. I could show a picture of the Moon and describe how certain features, lunar mare and craters have formed and why we see them. I can give a synapsis of the different moon formation theories and provide the pros and cons of them all. I could make a strong case for why the big impact theory is the most commonly accepted theory amongst lunar scientists. I can describe the mechanism for the formation of the two types of impact craters: simple and complex. I can explain what happens at the contact stage, the excavation stage and modification stage and why this process is an important process in interpreting solar system evolution. The lunar cataclysm is know an event that can be used to describe lunar history and how it relates to Earth's impact database. Regolith was a foreign word to me nine weeks ago but it no longer is. Lava channels, volcanic domes, pahoehoe flow are all terms that also helped shape the Moon's surface. Explaining their formation and function with those found on Earth is now possible. A comparison of the lunar rock cycle and Earth's rock cycle can now be made. I am familiar with the many different moon missions i.e. Apollo, Chandrayaan-1, LCROSS, Clementine and LRO. I was able to see via NASA TV the collision of a 'satellite' with the Caebus crater on the Moon. I can share my knowledge of how an ALTA spectrometer works and how we can use it to identify different rock samples. I have knowledge to assist in picking a suitable site for a lunar base and many other bits of info not mentioned here. I have many different activities I want to share with other science teachers through my website. And most importantly I have a new found love for this beautiful object in our night sky that we call the MOON.

signing off...

kb