You may have seen videos of astronauts jumping on the moon. Their movements appear bouncier and lighter than how we move on Earth, and this is thanks to gravity.
Gravity is “the force by which a planet or other body draws objects toward its center,” according to NASA. If people move differently on the moon than on Earth, does that mean the moon has no gravity?
It’s time to get to know how the moon’s gravitational field works and answer some other interesting questions about Earth’s nearby satellite.
Does the moon have gravity?
Yes, there is gravity on the moon. The moon has a surface gravity of around 1.62 meters per second squared, according to NASA. In comparison, the Earth has a surface gravity of approximately 9.8 meters per second squared.
Since the moon’s surface gravity is one-sixth of Earth’s, this is why astronauts’ movements appear bouncier. Weight is impacted by gravity. When the gravitational pull is smaller, someone weighs less.
The moon, however, does have inconsistencies in its gravitational field because of “Bouguer” gravity anomalies. NASA’s GRAIL mission measured these mass anomalies which result from “either variations in crustal thickness or crust or mantle density.” In turn, some areas on the moon’s surface have stronger gravity while others have weaker.
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Is the moon a planet?
No, the moon is not a planet.
The moon is Earth’s sole natural satellite. It orbits our planet in an elliptical path and is the fifth largest of over 200 moons in our solar system, according to NASA.
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What is the moon made of?
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “the moon is made of green cheese.” The moon is made of various minerals.
The moon has three layers: core, mantle, and crust.
Its core is “iron-rich,” according to NASA. The mantle is “most likely made of minerals like olivine and pyroxene, which are made up of magnesium, iron, silicon, and oxygen atoms.” The moon’s crust is made of oxygen, silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium and aluminum, as well as small amounts of titanium, uranium, thorium, potassium and hydrogen.
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