2007-11-20 23:22:14 · 4 answers · asked by Benny* 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Your question is unfortunately oversimplified. The surface of the Moon reaches different temperatures depending on different factors. For one thing the day/night cycle on the Moon means the temperature cycles too. The fact that the Moon is a sphere also has an effect, so a spot on the equator will get hotter faster than a spot near the poles. And then there is the presence of craters and mountains, which also influence it. A mountainside might be in sunlight for several hours or days before the side of a crater, for instance, so those parts of the surface will have different temperatures. Some craters in polar regions get no sunlight at all, so they have different temperature characterisics than other regions.
The most commonly cited values are a minimum of -150 degrees celcius and a maximum of 120 degrees celcius. This is an average, and describes the temperatures reached after two weeks of darkness and two weeks of sunlight repsectively.
2007-11-21 00:32:22 · answer #1 · answered by Jason T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
On average, the Moon is about 30 C colder than the Earth because it's the same distance from the Sun as the Earth but has no greenhouse effect.
2007-11-21 01:51:08 · answer #2 · answered by cosmo 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The mean night time temperature is usually given as -153°C, with a minimum of -233°C. I've seen -261°C as the minimum though.
2007-11-20 23:46:02 · answer #3 · answered by Iridflare 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the bits hidden from sunlight...- 270° C
2007-11-20 23:33:45 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋