More to Read 1 #45 The Moon 21/1

The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth. Satellite means:

• a device sent up into space to travel around the earth, used for collecting information or communicating by radio, television, etc.:

• a device that is found in NASA to provide information or communicating by radio, television, etc.:

The moon is the only extraterrestrial body which humans have visited. Extraterrestrial means:

• in or coming from a place outside the planet Earth:

• outside (the laws of) a country:

The ftist manned landing on the Moon was on July 20, 1969; the last was in December, 1972. Manned means:

• having a human creator

• having a human crew

The gravitational forces between the Earth and the Moon have some interesting effects. Gravitational means:

• related to the importance of two subjects

• related to the force that attracts objects towards one another

The gravitational forces between the Earth and the Moon have some interesting effects. The most obvious is the tides. Tide means:

• the rise and fall of the air that happens twice every day

• the rise and fall of the sea that happens twice every day

Since the Earth is not perfectly rigid, i.e. fixed and inflexible, it is stretched out toward the Moon. Rigid means:

• fixed; not able to be bent or moved

• flexible, bendable

Since the Earth is not perfectly rigid, i.e. fixed and inflexible, it is stretched out toward the Moon. This results in two small bulges on the Earth's surface, one in the direction of the Moon and one directly opposite. Bulge means:

• to stick out in a round shape

• to stick to another object

The effect is much stronger in the ocean water than in the solid crust, so the water bulges are higher. Solid means:

• soft and fluffy

• hard or firm, keeping a clear shape

The Moon appears to turn slightly (due to its slightly non-circular orbit) so we can see a few degrees of the far side from time to time. Orbit means:

• the curved path through which objects in space move around a planet or star

• the curved path through which racing cars move around

Actually, there is no "dark side" of the Moon; other than a few areas with deep craters near the poles, all parts of the Moon get sunlight half the time. Crater means:

• the moon's mountains

• the round hole at the top of a volcano, or a hole in the ground similar to this