The moon in all its glistening glory has been the subject of astrology, anthologies, flicks and folklore for centuries.
Still, people peer at the crater-studded orb with a sense of bewilderment.
The Daily News is blasting off 10 out-of-this-world facts about our closest neighbor that may surprise you.
1. Only a handful of humans have walked the moon
To date, just 12 humans have marched on the moon.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first and second to do so.
All moonwalks took place between 1969 and 1972.
So what’s the holdup?
NASA said it’s working toward a lengthier moon mission — requiring the development of new tools, technologies and spacecraft, but plans to send another astronaut to the moon by the year 2020.
2. Full moons have distinctive names
Full moons boast monikers based on the time of year they crop up.
These labels date back to the Native Americans who attributed names to full moons in order to keep track of seasons, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The Full Flower Moon in May is derived from the abundance of flowers that bloom during that time of year, and the Full Cold Moon in December is named after the frigid climate, according to the Almanac.
3. The moon has ice — but no liquid water
Scientists once believed the moon to be bone dry.
But in 2009, a NASA satellite discovered ice on the south pole of the moon when it crashed into a crater.
A year later, NASA announced its radar detected 40 craters with at least 600 million tons of ice burrowed beneath them at the moon’s north pole.
It’s nearly impossible for liquid water to last on the moon however, since the deficient gravity would likely cause it to evaporate and drift into space, according to NASA.
4. There is gravity on the moon
Some believe that humans bob about on the moon — but that’s a floating fallacy.
The moon has 1/6 of Earth’s gravity, according to NASA.
Humans need at least 15% of the amount of gravity on Earth to stay grounded and the moon possesses about 17% of Earth’s gravity — enough to keep people moored to the moon, according to an article in the journal PLOS ONE.
5. The moon is not round
From our planet’s vantage point, the moon appears to be a perfectly round sphere — but it’s actually egg-shaped.
The moon’s oval shape is a consequence of the ongoing gravitational tug-of-war between it and Earth, according to NASA.
“The mutual pulling of the two bodies is powerful enough to stretch them both, so they wind up shaped a little like two eggs with their ends pointing toward one another,” a report by NASA said.
6. The moon’s size is always the same
If the moon appears larger when it first rises, then your eyes are playing tricks on you.
The culprit behind this optical illusion however, remains obscure.
One theory is that when the moon is near the horizon, we perceive it to be further from us than when it is high in the sky, so our minds compensate by making it appear larger, according to a report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Another hypothesis says that when the moon is closer to the horizon, there are more reference points — like trees and buildings — to compare it to, which makes it seem larger than when it stands alone in the sky, according to a report in the journal Perception.
7. There is no weather on the moon
Cloudy with a chance of showers, will never be forecasted on the moon.
Since the moon lacks a significant atmosphere, it never sees snow, wind, rain, clouds or storms.
This shortage of a sufficient atmosphere also inhibits erosion.
That’s why craters that dot the moon are preserved because, as NASA describes it, the moon is like “a perpetual vacuum.”
8. The moon does not have a hospitable environment
The moon lacks oxygen, so astronauts are equipped with oxygen tanks in their cumbersome suits.
What’s more, temperatures can surge to a torrid 253 degrees Fahrenheit and plummet to a frigid -298 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Space.com.
9. The dark side of the moon is a mere myth
“The Dark Side of the Moon” may have been a hit Pink Floyd record, but it’s also a fallacy — cosmically speaking.
Only one face of the moon is ever viewed from Earth because the moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that it orbits the Earth, according to NASA.
Still, both sides of the satellite do see the same amount of sunlight.
10. The moon has quakes
Why shouldn’t the moon get a fair shake at experiencing quakes?
During the Apollo missions, the seismic network saw a staggering 28 quakes, some of which measured up to 5.5 on the Richter scale, according to Clive R. Neal, a geological sciences professor at the University of Notre Dame.
Earthquakes last no longer than 30 seconds because elements like water weaken vibrations.
Conversely, moonquakes can last over 10 minutes because the moon is dry, cool and rigid and has nothing slowing it down, Neal told a group of NASA scientists at a conference.
brobins@nydailynews.com
