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The moon is about 238,900 miles (384,000 kilometers) away from Earth. It has roughly one quarter Earth’s girth, an eighth its mass and one sixth its gravity.
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Because of the difference in length between calendar months and the lunar cycle, every two to three years, one season will have an extra full moon. In a season with four full moons, The Farmers’ Almanac calls the third a blue moon.
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Michael Jackson first popularized the moonwalk performing his 1983 hit song, Billie Jean.
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Because of its orbit and rotation, we always see the same side of the moon.
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2011 marks the 32nd annual Mooning of Amtrak Day in Orange County, California, an event that is just what its name suggests—some 10,000 participants bare their bottoms at passing trains.
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The moon’s gravitational pull on Earth is the main cause of the rise and fall of ocean tides.
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There are rumors that Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon synchronizes perfectly when played as a soundtrack for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The band denies the connection.
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The last moon landing took place in 1972. A total of 12 astronauts have walked on the moon. Or have they…?
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Margaret Wise Brown wrote the iconic children’s bedtime story Goodnight Moon in 1947. Goodnight room, Goodnight moon, Goodnight cow jumping over the moon.
This article first appeared in the Early Summer 2011 issue of Canoeroots Magazine.
