Earthguide Online Classroom


Earthrise.

Earthrise Image of Earth rising over the horizon of the Moon, taken by crew of Apollo 8 on December 24, 2008. Taken during a time of unrest and environmental crisis, this image become an icon for a growing environmental movement in the U.S. marked by the establishment of the U.S. EPA. Source: NASA


Questions for discussion

  1. How should you dress for a trip to the Moon? Should you dress for warmer or colder temperatures than back at home?

    • What are the high and low temperatures found on Earth?

    • What are the day-to-night temperature swings?

    • What are the high and low temperatures found on the Moon?

    • How do we know the surface temperature of the Moon?


  2. What factor(s) set the Earth's temperature?

    • Does the distance to the Sun explain the surface temperature difference between the Earth and Moon?

    • Do differences in rotation rate and length of day and night explain surface temperature differences?

    • Do differences in the atmospheres fo the Earth and Moon explain surface temperature differences?



Related resources

THE IMAGE

  • Earthrise
    Like a sunrise over the Earth's horizon, except it's the Earth rising over the horizon of the Moon.
    Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), NASA

  • NASA Images
    Image gallery that includes Earthrise image and many others.
    NASA

  • Transcript of Apollo 8 Mission
    Dialog between the astronauts as they take the unscheduled photograph of the earthrise.
    Apollo Flight Journal, NASA

RELATED IMAGES

  • Earthrise and Earthset from Kaguya
    Blog about the HD video of earthrise and earthset taken by the JAXA Kaguya mission.
    By Emily Lakdawalla, The Planetary Society

  • JAXA Video
    Online videos of the Kaguya Mission to the Moon and more.
    Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Take away concepts

  • That the distance to the Sun is not the only factor that sets the Earth's surface temperature.
  • That the presence and particular composition of the atmosphere play an important role in setting planetary surface temperatures.
  • That the Earth and Moon have extremely different surface temperatures even though they are located at practically the same distance from the Sun.



Related news

WATER SUPPLY

  • Not-So-Lonely Planet
    Short article on the 40th anniversary of the original photo.
    By Oliver Morton, NY Times

  • Happy Birthday Earthrise
    Short article on the 40th anniversary of the original photo.
    By Christopher Riley, BBC

  • That Photograph
    Short article on the 30th anniversary of the original photo.
    Australian Broadcasting Corporation

© 2010 Earthguide at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
All rights reserved.