Norfolk Island Stargazing by Peter Davies
15 September 2022
The Moon
In the Norfolk Island night sky
The full Moon occurred last Saturday 10th September and this photo was taken a few days later. The main objects able to be seen in the night sky this week are the constellation of Scorpio, the Red Giant Antares, the Southern Cross, Saturn and now clearly seen shining brightly in the eastern night sky is the planet Jupiter.
Did you know?
…that our Moon is the fourth largest moon in our solar system but is the largest Moon in relation to its planet? When you look at the Moon, look at the line between dark and light. You can see shadows falling into the craters. Some of the craters are hundreds of metres deep! The largest craters are around 100 km in diameter. That means you can fit Norfolk Island into any one of those large craters around 15 times!
There are various theories about how the moon was created, but recent evidence indicates it formed when a huge collision tore a chunk of the primitive molten Earth away, sending the raw ingredients for the moon into orbit. Scientists have suggested the impactor was roughly 10% the mass of Earth, or about the size of Mars.
Because Earth and the moon are so similar in composition, researchers have concluded that the impact must have occurred about 95 million years after the formation of the solar system, give or take 32 million years.
Astronomy quote
"The moon will guide you through the night with her brightness, but she will always dwell in the darkness, in order to be seen." ―Shannon L. Alder
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Norfolk Island Stargazing: Open for business any day it’s not raining.
Bookings by appointment: Adults $48 (min 4) – Children $20.
Personalized tours $192 (for up to 4 guests) then $48 for each additional person. (Self-drive / weather dependant)
For bookings call Peter on 52458 or email norfolkislandstargazing@gmail.com
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