Why is the moon surface so heavily pitted with craters?

Craters on the Moon are caused by asteroids and meteorites colliding with the lunar surface. Unlike the Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere to protect itself from impacting bodies. It also has very little geologic activity (like volcanoes) or weathering (from wind or rain) so craters remain intact from billions of years.

Why is the moon so scarred with craters answer?

The Earth’s gravity is stronger than the moon’s, so it attracts more space debris than the moon does. Unlike the Earth, the moon does not have processes that remove craters from its surface.

Why is the moon covered with craters but the Earth isn t?

Unlike Earth’s surface, the lunar surface is covered with craters. This is because Earth is a dynamic planet, and tectonics, volcanism, seismicity, wind and oceans all play against the preservation of impact craters on Earth.

Why do we not see craters on Earth anymore?

In fact, most astronomers believe that the Earth was once hit by a mars-sized object, an event which created the Moon. The Earth has several very efficient erosion mechanisms which wipe away craters and other geological formations at a very rapid rate.

Why is the moon so much more heavily cratered than Earth explain how crater counts tell us the age of a surface?

The fact that the Moon is much more heavily cratered than the Earth tells us that the Moon’s surface is much older. This is because the Moon is long dead geologically, except for impact cratering. All of these processes renew the surface and erase impact craters, making the surface young and relatively uncratered.

Why does the moon have more craters than the Earth quizlet?

The moon’s surface is much more heavily cratered than Earth’s surface because ancient craters have already disappeared on Earth . They were worn away over time by water , wind , and other forces . Since the moon has no liquid water or atmosphere , its surface has changed very little .

How are craters formed on the moon?

Craters are the most common surface features on many solid planets and moons—Mercury and our Moon are covered with craters. This portion of the Moon is covered by numerous circular holes. These are impact craters, each of which was formed when an asteroid or comet collided with the Moon’s surface.

Does the moon protect the Earth from asteroids?

Very little. The the moon covers a very small percentage of the sky, and thus cannot shield the earth from the impact of all but a small percentage of meteors.

What caused the moon’s craters?

One reason the moon has craters because it gets hit by objects, small pieces of rocks that come from outer space. These are pieces of asteroids, comets that are flying around in the solar system. When they hit the surface, there’s an impact. The moon has no atmosphere, and so even a tiny rock will create a crater.

Why is the Maria dark in color?

They were dubbed maria, Latin for ‘seas’, by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the “highlands” as a result of their iron-rich composition, and hence appear dark to the naked eye. The maria cover about 16\% of the lunar surface, mostly on the side visible from Earth.

Why do we only see one side of the Moon?

The Moon orbits Earth once every 27.3 days and spins on its axis once every 27.3 days. This means that although the Moon is rotating, it always keeps one face toward us. Known as “synchronous rotation,” this is why we only ever see the Moon’s nearside from Earth.

Why is the moon more frequently hit by asteroids than the earth?

An asteroid or meteor is more likely to hit Earth because Earth is a lot bigger than the Moon, giving a meteoroid more area to hit! But we can see many thousands of craters on the Moon and we only know of about 180 on Earth!