Moon

-is the earth's natural satellite that shines by the sun's reflected light. Revolves about the earth from west to east in about 291 2 days with reference to the sun or about 271 3 days with reference to the stars, and has a diameter of 2160 miles (3475 kilometers), a mean distance from the earth of about 238,900 miles (384,400 kilometers), and a mass about one eightieth that of the earth . -The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. It is the largest natural satellite of a planet in the Solar System relative to the size of its primary, a quarter the diameter of Earth 1 and 81 its mass (Charon is proportionally larger in comparison to Pluto, but Pluto has been reclassified as a dwarf planet). The Moon is the second densest satellite after Io.
[nb 4][6]

Tides
-are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on earth s big bodies of water. The sun is 400 times more massive than the moon. But it is also 400 times farther away from earth. Consequently, the tidal pull of the sun is only about half of the moon. y Spring Tide -When the moon is full or new, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun are combined. At these times, the high tides are very high and the low tides are very low. This is known as a spring high tide. Spring tides are especially strong tides (they do not have anything to do with the season Spring). They occur when the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are in a line. The gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun both contribute to the tides.Spring tides occur during the full moon and the new moon. Neap Tide -During the moon's quarter phases the sun and moon work at right angles, causing the bulges to cancel each other. The result is a smaller difference between high and low tides and is known as a neap tide. Neap tides are especially weak tides. They occur when the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun are perpendicular to one another (with respect to the Earth). Neap tides occur during quarter moons.

Orbit
- is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the solar system. Orbits of planets are typically elliptical.

Eclipses
is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. The region of the Earth's shadow in a solar eclipse is divided into three parts.    The umbra, in which the moon completely covers the sun (more precisely, its photosphere) The antumbra, extending beyond the tip of the umbra, in which the moon is completely in front of the sun but too small to completely cover it The penumbra, in which the moon is only partially in front of the sun

Solar eclipse
-a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially covers the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least two, and up to five, solar eclipses occur each year; no more than two can be total eclipses.[1][2] Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any particular location because totality exists only along a narrow path on the Earth's surface traced by the Moon's umbra.

Lunar eclipse
-striking the moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location relative to its orbital nodes. The most recent total lunar eclipseoccurred on June 15, 2011; it was a central eclipse, visible over Europe and south America after sunset, over Africa and most of Asia, and Australia before sunrise.

Total eclipse
-A total eclipse is an eclipse where either the Sun is entirely covered by the Moon, or the Earth's shadow entirely covers the Moon.

Lunar eclipse
-A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the earth so that the earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location relative to its orbital nodes. The most recent total lunar eclipseoccurred on June 15, 2011; it was a central eclipse, visible over Europe and south America after sunset, over Africa and most of Asia, and Australia before sunrise.

Annular eclipse
- an eclipse of the sun in which the moon does not cover the entire disc of the sun, so that a ring of sunlight surrounds the shadow of the moon. - A ring of the Sun can still be seen around the Moon (caused by the Moon's umbra failing to reach the Earth's surface, which can happen if the Moon is near apogee). This is similar to a penumbral eclipse.

Partial eclipse
- Only part of the Sun and the Moon overlap

Apogee
- The point in an object's orbit around the earth when it is furthest from the Earth.

Perigee
-Perigee is the closest point to the earth and it is in this stage that the moon appears larger. The point in an object's orbit around the Earth when it is closest to the Earth. y The apogee and perigee of the moon have an effect on the tides here on Earth. When the moon is at apogee, the furthest distance from the Earth, it has less gravitational pull which, along with other factors that influence the tides, can contribute to lower tides or lower variation in the high/low tide level. When the moon is at perigee, closer to the Earth, there is much more gravitational pull which contributes to the opposite effect: higher tides or greater variation in the high and low tide.

The point in an object's orbit around the Sun when it is furthest from the Sun
Aphelion -the point on its orbit when the Earth is farthest from the sun. Perihelion -the point on its orbit when the Earth is closest to the sun.

Kepler s Law
1. The orbit of every planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one of the two foci. 2. A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.
[1]

3. The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.