Why does the moon have more craters than the earth?
The earth has a stronger gravitational pull, so if an asteroid went near us wouldn't it be more attracted to the earth. Is it because the earth has an atmosphere and most asteroids burn up on entry?
Answers:
Exactly, due to earth's larger gravitational pull it is able trap gases and create an atmosphere. The atmosphere provides the earth with protection from bodies such as meteors from coming in. (it is also what makes reentry from space travel difficult.) The moon's lesser gravitational pull is not strong enough to retain atmospheric gases and it therefore does not have that extra protection. All objects that come into the moon's pull will ultimately hit the surface.
the moon was battered by an asteroid field about a million years ago i heard
On the moon, there is no air to stop meteorites, and no wind or water or ice to erode existing craters. With the exception of the meteor crater in Arizona (that I am aware of), even the best-preserved craters on Earth are already filled with water.
Atmosphere is the key, because the burning process will reduce the size if not eliminate the debris.
Yes, I believe so and that's why more asteroids and other bodies in space have hit the surface of the moon, thus the moon having more craters than Earth.
The atmosphere has a lot to do with it - the real answer is weather! We have wind and rain, and volcanoes and tectonics, so the surface of the earth is forever being reworked. The craters on the moon are mostly really ancient, they just haven't been weathered away.
Most meteors are burned or broken up in the Earth's atmosphere. The moon, without an atmosphere, is pelted by objects that would not have made it through to the Earth's surface.
No atmosphere and very little erosion.
Life on earth and the effects of tides , weather and growth disguise the craters that cover the earth ,
The moon remains unaffected by all these so the craters are plain to see , and atmosphere burn lessens the frequency of impact .
The moon has no atmosphere, therefore asteroids do not slow down from friction like they do on earth. the just slam into the moon at full speed.
Many burn up in the atmosphere. Most of the rest that land either go in the ocean (the earth is 2/3 water) or the craters are eroded over time by wind and weather.
no atmosphere means meteors hit it more easily. Most asteroids or meteors that would hit earth burn up through friction with air as they enter the atmosphere, that's what we call shooting stars. Moon has no such atmosphere, so meteors just hit it.
it's because of the tectonic plates of the earth. the land is being constantly renewed by sinking and volcanoes provide new land surface. also erosion removes the craters. If we did not have this land movement then the earth would be covered in craters. also the atmosphere burns a lot up but millions of years ago when there was no atmosphere the earth would have looked like the moon.
The Earth has had more craters than the moon, but they
get eroded from wind, rain earthquakes, floods etc. And you're
absolutely right that earth's greater gravity draws more meteoric
material than does the moon and that this material is largely
burnt in earth atmosphere. But it's only the smaller size ones
that do get burnt. Another thing is that a large part of the earth's
surface is covered by ocean and snow or ice(think of the arctic,
antarctic and Greenland). Some of this ice and/or water is more than a mile deep/thick so a meteor that strikes it doesn't even reach the ground.
i beleive it is because the moon is a kind of shield to the earth, many asteroids that would b on a course with our planet hit the moon first
Erosion and continental drift obscure the craters on Earth. The atmosphere stops smaller meteorites. Plant growth also hides craters. Many meteorites would land in the sea.
Because there isnt an atmosphere to burn most of them up before they hit the surface. Anything that hits the moon will probably make a crater
better question than your other one but im still wondering i u r okay
Partly it is due to the atmoshere burning up the small ones that reduces the amount of meteroite hits, but big ones still get through, the main reason there are more viisble ones on the moon compaed with the earth is that the moon does not have volcanoes, wind or continental shift, & does have low gravity, therefore any marks made on its surface remain visible unless there are removed by something else making a mark, this has gone on for millions of years hence the large number of craters.
Where as on Earth there have been earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, building work etc. which have gone to eradicate signs of small craters.
The moon has no atmosphere to burn up some of the meteors and no wind to erode the meteors that do hit. We may get hit more but a lot will never touch the ground and the ones that do won't stay forever.
that is not the reason. why do you think there are moons?
so that they protect the planet.the gravitational pull on rocks on the moon is more than on earth.that is why the asteroid belt planets have alot of moons to protect them.
You are basically correct, the moon lacks an atmosphere and therefore meteors do not burn up. Also, without the atmosphere or life on the moon, the craters do not erode. The simple fact is they are easier to find.
Less gravity and no atmosphere to destroy comets that enter it.
70+% of the Earth is covered by water,so statistically most of what did reach earth orbit and doesn't burn up or bounce off the atmosphere would likely have splashed down.Most of the strikes that did hit ground are either covered by vegetation,weathered away,or destroyed by tectonic activity in the many years since most of the meterorite activity took place.
Astronomers think that the Earth has had just as many, if not more, asteroid/cometary impacts as the Moon (in fact, I think the most popular theory about the creation of the Moon was that the Earth collided with a Mars sized object, and the debris that was knocked off the Earth and other object in the collision coalesced to form the Moon).
The Earth is, however, an active planet in the sense that it has tectonic activity (i.e. the tectonic plates move), volcanic eruptions, landslides, which over time will gradually make impact craters less visible. There is also erosion and weather processes that can disguise impact craters.
However, sometimes different techniques can be used to detect impact craters on Earth. PEMEX, an oil company, was looking for oil when it discovered the crater in the Yucatan Peninsular, which is now thought of as one of the impact sites of the asteroid/comet which was responsible for the down fall of the dinosaurs. So, although craters are not as obvious as they are on the Moon (since they do not get eroded etc), there are other ways of detecting some, but not all, of them.
the moon has no atmosphere so meteorites can not burn up in the atmosphere. nor is there any weather so therefore there is no erosion that happens on the moon
your asteroid burning up theory is correct, also we have plate tectonics which distorts craters until they are unrecognisable, we also have water and weather systems that erode away the evidence of craters. most of the craters on the moon were formed during the late heavy bomberdment, roughly 4.5 billion years ago, the earth suffered during the bombardment as well but we have had 4.5 billion years of weather, plate tectonics, oceans and volcano erruptions to erase the evidence of the craters
yes, you got the answer
Is Light Heavy?
What is solar flare?
Is there a 'group name' for the 2D shapes such as cirlces, ovals and crescents that are not polygons.?
is there any truth in the story about a live tererdactal being found alive in a french railway tunnel?
How do you remember the difference between adapt and adopt?
help with question below please.?
Why have we been put on earth?
are we the only mammals that have 'periods'?
Answers:
Exactly, due to earth's larger gravitational pull it is able trap gases and create an atmosphere. The atmosphere provides the earth with protection from bodies such as meteors from coming in. (it is also what makes reentry from space travel difficult.) The moon's lesser gravitational pull is not strong enough to retain atmospheric gases and it therefore does not have that extra protection. All objects that come into the moon's pull will ultimately hit the surface.
the moon was battered by an asteroid field about a million years ago i heard
On the moon, there is no air to stop meteorites, and no wind or water or ice to erode existing craters. With the exception of the meteor crater in Arizona (that I am aware of), even the best-preserved craters on Earth are already filled with water.
Atmosphere is the key, because the burning process will reduce the size if not eliminate the debris.
Yes, I believe so and that's why more asteroids and other bodies in space have hit the surface of the moon, thus the moon having more craters than Earth.
The atmosphere has a lot to do with it - the real answer is weather! We have wind and rain, and volcanoes and tectonics, so the surface of the earth is forever being reworked. The craters on the moon are mostly really ancient, they just haven't been weathered away.
Most meteors are burned or broken up in the Earth's atmosphere. The moon, without an atmosphere, is pelted by objects that would not have made it through to the Earth's surface.
No atmosphere and very little erosion.
Life on earth and the effects of tides , weather and growth disguise the craters that cover the earth ,
The moon remains unaffected by all these so the craters are plain to see , and atmosphere burn lessens the frequency of impact .
The moon has no atmosphere, therefore asteroids do not slow down from friction like they do on earth. the just slam into the moon at full speed.
Many burn up in the atmosphere. Most of the rest that land either go in the ocean (the earth is 2/3 water) or the craters are eroded over time by wind and weather.
no atmosphere means meteors hit it more easily. Most asteroids or meteors that would hit earth burn up through friction with air as they enter the atmosphere, that's what we call shooting stars. Moon has no such atmosphere, so meteors just hit it.
it's because of the tectonic plates of the earth. the land is being constantly renewed by sinking and volcanoes provide new land surface. also erosion removes the craters. If we did not have this land movement then the earth would be covered in craters. also the atmosphere burns a lot up but millions of years ago when there was no atmosphere the earth would have looked like the moon.
The Earth has had more craters than the moon, but they
get eroded from wind, rain earthquakes, floods etc. And you're
absolutely right that earth's greater gravity draws more meteoric
material than does the moon and that this material is largely
burnt in earth atmosphere. But it's only the smaller size ones
that do get burnt. Another thing is that a large part of the earth's
surface is covered by ocean and snow or ice(think of the arctic,
antarctic and Greenland). Some of this ice and/or water is more than a mile deep/thick so a meteor that strikes it doesn't even reach the ground.
i beleive it is because the moon is a kind of shield to the earth, many asteroids that would b on a course with our planet hit the moon first
Erosion and continental drift obscure the craters on Earth. The atmosphere stops smaller meteorites. Plant growth also hides craters. Many meteorites would land in the sea.
Because there isnt an atmosphere to burn most of them up before they hit the surface. Anything that hits the moon will probably make a crater
better question than your other one but im still wondering i u r okay
Partly it is due to the atmoshere burning up the small ones that reduces the amount of meteroite hits, but big ones still get through, the main reason there are more viisble ones on the moon compaed with the earth is that the moon does not have volcanoes, wind or continental shift, & does have low gravity, therefore any marks made on its surface remain visible unless there are removed by something else making a mark, this has gone on for millions of years hence the large number of craters.
Where as on Earth there have been earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, building work etc. which have gone to eradicate signs of small craters.
The moon has no atmosphere to burn up some of the meteors and no wind to erode the meteors that do hit. We may get hit more but a lot will never touch the ground and the ones that do won't stay forever.
that is not the reason. why do you think there are moons?
so that they protect the planet.the gravitational pull on rocks on the moon is more than on earth.that is why the asteroid belt planets have alot of moons to protect them.
You are basically correct, the moon lacks an atmosphere and therefore meteors do not burn up. Also, without the atmosphere or life on the moon, the craters do not erode. The simple fact is they are easier to find.
Less gravity and no atmosphere to destroy comets that enter it.
70+% of the Earth is covered by water,so statistically most of what did reach earth orbit and doesn't burn up or bounce off the atmosphere would likely have splashed down.Most of the strikes that did hit ground are either covered by vegetation,weathered away,or destroyed by tectonic activity in the many years since most of the meterorite activity took place.
Astronomers think that the Earth has had just as many, if not more, asteroid/cometary impacts as the Moon (in fact, I think the most popular theory about the creation of the Moon was that the Earth collided with a Mars sized object, and the debris that was knocked off the Earth and other object in the collision coalesced to form the Moon).
The Earth is, however, an active planet in the sense that it has tectonic activity (i.e. the tectonic plates move), volcanic eruptions, landslides, which over time will gradually make impact craters less visible. There is also erosion and weather processes that can disguise impact craters.
However, sometimes different techniques can be used to detect impact craters on Earth. PEMEX, an oil company, was looking for oil when it discovered the crater in the Yucatan Peninsular, which is now thought of as one of the impact sites of the asteroid/comet which was responsible for the down fall of the dinosaurs. So, although craters are not as obvious as they are on the Moon (since they do not get eroded etc), there are other ways of detecting some, but not all, of them.
the moon has no atmosphere so meteorites can not burn up in the atmosphere. nor is there any weather so therefore there is no erosion that happens on the moon
your asteroid burning up theory is correct, also we have plate tectonics which distorts craters until they are unrecognisable, we also have water and weather systems that erode away the evidence of craters. most of the craters on the moon were formed during the late heavy bomberdment, roughly 4.5 billion years ago, the earth suffered during the bombardment as well but we have had 4.5 billion years of weather, plate tectonics, oceans and volcano erruptions to erase the evidence of the craters
yes, you got the answer
The answers post by the user, for information only, UKQnA.com does not guarantee the right.