The Moon

Imagine looking up at the sky and never seeing the moon again. No
more light in the night sky, no more ocean tides to circulate nutrients so that
ocean plants and animals can survive. The moon is positioned up in the sky
and we never take a moment to realize its importance in our lives. How could
Christopher Columbus and other explores navigate the vast ocean seas
without using the moon as their compass? How would animals and plants
that live in the oceans migrate to other areas to breed and find food without
using the ocean tides to help them move? The moon plays an important role
in both our real life and in literature, from its many phases, to how it is
unique from other moons in our solar system, to its notable use in literary
works such as The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The moon has many different phases, each phase is viewed differently
and each has a different effect on Earth. The phases of the moon are New
Moon, Crescent Moon, First Quarter Moon, Last Quarter Moon, Gibbous Moon,
and Full Moon. The phases are caused by the moon revolving around the
Earth and they have a significant effect on Neap and Spring Tides (Birch, 18).
Depending on where you live on Earth, the phases of the moon may be very
different, since the moon orbits the Earth near the equator. In the northern
hemisphere, the phases of the moon start as an increasing circle (Birch, 19).
This is important because explorers throughout history had to track the
phases of the moon so that they could determine where they were in the
world. If they crossed the equator in their travels, they had to know that in
the southern hemisphere, the phases of the moon were different from the
1

northern hemisphere, since they are viewed as a decreasing circle (Birch,

19). In the past, explorers used the phases of the moon to help them
navigate, today scientists use the phases of the moon to help determine the
effect of Neap and Spring Tides.
Many planets in our Solar System have moons and they are all unique
to the planets they orbit. The moon that orbits Earth is very different from
Jupiters moon, Europa, and Saturns moon, Titan. The largest of the three
moons is Titan, whose diameter is 5,150 km as compared to the diameter of
Saturn which is 116,464 km (NASA). Next, the moon that orbits Earth is
3,475 km in diameter which is compared to the diameter of Earth which is
12,742 km (Landau, 10), and Europa has a diameter of 3,138 km which is
compared to the diameter of Jupiter which is 139,822 km (NASA). Jupiter is
the largest planet of the three, however, it has the smallest moon. The three
moons are also different in what their composition. Europa is primarily made
up of silicate, which is a solid, with an iron core, and the moons atmosphere
is composed mostly of oxygen (NASA). Titan is a moon whose surface is very
cold, with a possible hot core, and is made up of rock and water and ice with
an atmosphere made up of mostly nitrogen and methane (NASA). Earths
moon is 42% oxygen, 21% silicone, 13% iron, 8% calcium, 7% aluminum, 3%
other elements and 6% magnesium, with no atmosphere (McGowen, 2007).
The three moons also orbit their planets at different rates. Of the three
moons, Europa orbits the planet Jupiter the fastest, in just 3.5 days. Titan
orbits Saturn in 15 days and 22 hours and Earths moon orbits Earth in 27.5
2

days. As you can see, Earths moon has many differences from the other
moons in the solar system.
The moon has a very important influence in the novel The Hobbit, by
J.R.R. Tolkien. Moon-runes are letters, which represent the alphabet of the
dwarves. The runes are written on a map to give specific directions for the
characters and are only visible when the moon shines behind them. They can
only be seen in the specific phase of the moon from when they were written.
The moon-runes on the map in the book The Hobbit were written on a
Midsummers Eve in a crescent moon. They give hints for what to do and
how to do it. In the book, the moon-runes read, Stand by the grey stone
when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day
while shine upon the keyhole." (Tolkien, 50). In order for the characters in the
book to complete their task of finding the gold, they must be familiar with
the phases of the moon so they can use the map correctly. Without the moon
rune, the explorers would not be able to accomplish their adventure.
Therefore, the moon is an important character in The Hobbit.
Over the last 4.5 billion years, the moon has helped us in many ways.
It has helped us navigate using the water on Earth as a resource; the moon
has given us information on how important gravity is to humans. The
different phases of the moon help us with calendaring and seasons, and
without the moon there would not be any neap or spring tides which are
important to Earths ecological systems. The moon also helps us navigate,
since we use the moon as a reference for direction. Earths moon is also
3

unique from the other moons in the solar system in its size, composition and
atmosphere. The moon is referenced many times in literary works, not only
for navigation and as a source of light in the night sky, but as a source to
decode a map in the book The Hobbit. In The Hobbit, the characters would
not be able to accomplish their mission of traveling to Smaugs Mountain and
finding their lost treasure, without using the moons light to point the way.
Given the facts, you can see that without the moon, Earth would be a very
different place.
Bibliography
Birch, Robin. The new Solar System: The Moon. New York: Chelsea House
Publishers, 2008.
Kerrod, Robin. The Moon . Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2000.
Landau, Elaine. A True Book: The Moon. Danbury, Connecticut: Childrens
Press, 2008.
McGowen, Dr. Chuck, The Design and Purpose of the Moon-teleology #8.
September 4, 2007. The Philosophy of Science and Medicine. March 31,
2013. http://www.aproundtable.org/blog/blog.cfm?
ID=148&AUTHOR_ID=1.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cassini Solstice Mission. NASA. March 31,
2013. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/science/index.cfm?SciencePageID=75.
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Solar System
Exploration. March 31, 2013.
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?
Object=Jup_Europa&Display=Facts.