- The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite. It orbits around Earth at an average distance of 384399 km (238,854 mi; about 30 times Earth’s diameter). The Moon is tidally locked to Earth. This makes the Moon’s near side face Earth always the same way, and synchronizes its rotation period (lunar day) to its orbital period (lunar month) of 29.5 Earth days. Conversley, the Moon’s gravitation causes tidal forces on Earth, which are the main driver of Earth’s tides.
- Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 (Wikipedia)
The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, dubbed the “Great American Eclipse” by some media, was a total solar eclipse visible within a band that spanned the contiguous United States from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. It was also visible as a partial solar eclipse from as far north as Nunavut in northern Canada to as far south as northern South America. In northwestern Europe and Africa, it was partially visible in the late evening. In northeastern Asia, it was partially visible at sunrise.