The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and is one of the five largest moons in the solar system. It is sometimes referred to by its Latin name, Luna.
Most moons in the solar system are very small relative to the planet around which they orbit. The Moon is an exception: its mass is 1/81 that of Earth. For this reason, the Earth and the Moon are sometimes referred to as double planets. However, the common center of gravity around which the Earth and Moon orbit is still within the Earth. Only in the case of the dwarf planet Pluto and its moon Charon is the moon proportionally even larger, namely 1/8 of the planet's mass, and the common center of gravity lies outside Pluto.
I walk, I stop, I look, I click... Read more…