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Enhancement with Planet template that can handle moons, too
[[image:Moon2.jpg|right|thumb|350px|The Moon one week after [[full moon]]]]
{{Planet|image=Moon2.jpg
|caption=The Moon one week after [[full moon]]
|primary=Earth
|periapsis=363,300 km
|apoapsis=405,500 km
|semimajor=384,400 km
|orbitradius=378,000 km
|eccentricity=0.0549
|sidereal=27.3217 da
|synodic=29.530588 da
|orbitspeed=1.023 km/s
|inclination=18.28°
|siderealday=27.3217 da
|solarday=29.530588 da
|mass=7.35 * 10<sup>22</sup> (1.23% earth)
|density=3350 kg/m³
|surfacegrav=1.62 m/s² (0.165 ''g'')
|escapespeed=2.38 km/s
|meanradius=1737.1 km
|equatorradius =1738.1 km
|polarradius =1736.0 km
|surfacearea=37,919,000 km² (7.434% earth)
|mintemp=100 K
|meantemp=250 K
|maxtemp=400 K
}}[[image:Moon2.jpg|right|thumb|350px|The Moon one week after [[full moon]]]]
The '''Moon''' is a natural [[satellite]] orbiting the [[Earth]] at an average distance of about 238,000 miles (380,000 km).
The '''Moon''' is a natural [[satellite]] orbiting the [[Earth]] at an average distance of about 238,000 miles (380,000 km).
The combined motion is like an athlete performing an [[Olympics| Olympic]] hammer throw: one object swings in a large circle, the other almost pivots around a fixed point but actually performs a small opposing circle of its own. <ref>The Earth and the Moon orbit each other around a gravitational midpoint called the ''barycenter.'' This point is, however, actually inside the Earth, about 3/4 of its radius from its center. It is not the Earth, but the barycenter of the Earth-Moon system, that orbits the [[Sun]] in a near-perfect ellipse. Relative to this ellipse, Earth is 3,000 miles closer to the Sun at full moon and 3,000 miles further from the Sun at new moon.</ref>
The combined motion is like an athlete performing an [[Olympics| Olympic]] hammer throw: one object swings in a large circle, the other almost pivots around a fixed point but actually performs a small opposing circle of its own. <ref>The Earth and the Moon orbit each other around a gravitational midpoint called the ''barycenter.'' This point is, however, actually inside the Earth, about 3/4 of its radius from its center. It is not the Earth, but the barycenter of the Earth-Moon system, that orbits the [[Sun]] in a near-perfect ellipse. Relative to this ellipse, Earth is 3,000 miles closer to the Sun at full moon and 3,000 miles further from the Sun at new moon.</ref>
When speaking of things having to do with the moon, the adjective ''lunar'' is used. The Greek-derived prefixed root ''selen-'' followed by the morpheme ''-o-'' is used as well; for example, the [[science]] of mapping the moon is called ''[[selenography]]'' (morphemes: ''selen-o-graph-y'').
When speaking of things having to do with the moon, the adjective ''lunar'' is used. The Greek-derived prefixed root ''selen-'' followed by the morpheme ''-o-'' is used as well; for example, the [[science]] of mapping the moon is called ''[[selenography]]'' (morphemes: ''selen-o-graph-y''). (Note, however, that the apsides of the orbits of the [[Project Apollo]] spacecraft were always called ''pericynthion'' and ''apocynthion'', not "periselene" and "aposelene.")
== See also ==
== See also ==