Does the Moon have seasons?

[beso]

I am sure we would call it "winter" all year round by our standards but are there seasonal cycles on the Moon?

[boxtops]

No, it has no atmosphere so it doesn't change, IMO

[Zacs-Master]

I answered this in your other post. No atmosphere, no seasons.

[ChuckFickens]

Seasons are caused by the earth being tilted, the moon is also slightly tilted (less so than the earth) so in that respect it does have seasons. However, the normal variations on the moons temperature during the course of one if it's days are so huge (about 400 degree difference) it totally swamps any small seasonal changes.

[Graham-W]

It also always faces the same way, relative to the sun, so no temperature change. Possibly slight change during lunar eclipse but very brief.

[Graham-W]

I stand corrected, Chuck.

[Zacs-Master]

By that definition Chuck, the international space station has seasons.

[Graham-W]

Chuck. Would a temp differential, dark side to light side, be actually classed as a temp change?

[Coldicote]

I wonder how it is that the moon always has the same face towards earth - we earthlings never see the other side. Presumably all aspects of the moon face the sun at some stage and undergo the vast changes of temperature Chuck refers to.

[tonyav]

Depends on the time of year, thick ones in the winter, thin ones in the summer !

[ChuckFickens]

Graham, the moon very definitely doesn't always face the same way relative to the sun. it always faces the same side to us because it's rotation matches it's orbit around the earth... There is no such thing as a "a dark side of the moon" all sides see the sun at some point, just like the earth.

Watch this all the way through and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZIB_leg75Q

[beso]

ChuckFikens // There is no such thing as a "a dark side of the moon" //

"Matter of fact its all dark"

[Graham-W]

Thanks to Chuck I have learned something new today. I've checked and he is correct about there being no "dark side of the moon".
So much for Pink Floyd.

[beso]

Another interesting fact about the Moon.

Many people think that we only ever see half the of its surface. It isn't rue.

Due to changes in its orbital speed and relative inclination, and the fact that the Earth's diameter is a signification fraction of the orbital radius it is possible to see about an extra eight degrees beyond the average edge of "our" side at varying times.

Some clever person could work out the proportion of the surface that is visible from Earth.

[EDDIE51]

The Moon is 'tidally locked' with the Earth see this link

http://www.digipro.com/Trials/moon.html

[mibn2cweus]

Graham-W
Thanks to Chuck I have learned something new today. I've checked and he is correct about there being no "dark side of the moon".
So much for Pink Floyd.
11:01 Sat 27th Oct 2012

"Dark Side of the Moon" is more allegory than science, contrasting the lighter and darker aspects of human nature. The science comes at the end of the last song "Eclipse" where Abbey Road Studios doorman Gerry O'Driscoll, in response to the question "What is 'the dark side of the moon'?" is heard saying: "There is no dark side in the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark."

My apologies for hijacking your thread Beso, but I would hate to leave anyone disillusioned with Pink Floyd's scientific accuracy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4pYsFFxAY