Astronomy Picture Of The Day: Earth vs Moon!

 

#NASA, #Space, #astronomy, #διάστημα, #Moon

Earth vs Moon: A Striking Size Comparison The Moon may dominate our night sky and feel enormous when it rises full and bright, but it’s actually a modest companion compared to our http://planet.Earth’s diameter: 12,742 km (7,918 miles) Moon’s diameter: 3,474–3,475 km (2,159 miles) That means the Moon is only about 27% the diameter of Earth. You could fit roughly four Moons side-by-side across Earth’s equator. In terms of volume, Earth is about 50 times larger Despite its smaller size, our Moon is still impressive: it’s the fifth-largest moon in the entire Solar System (after Ganymede, Titan, Callisto, and Io) and by far the largest relative to its parent planet. It’s also the only world beyond Earth where humans have walked, driven, and explored. This cosmic duo perfectly illustrates how special our Earth-Moon system really is — a rocky planet with a surprisingly large natural satellite that stabilizes our tilt, creates tides, and lights up our nights. Credits: NASA • NASA Earth Observatory • NASA Scientific Visualization Studio