GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Detailed explanation-1: -It travels around our planet once every 27.322 days in an elliptical orbit, an elongated circle. The Moon is tidally locked with Earth, which means that it spins on its axis exactly once each time it orbits our planet. Because of this, people on Earth only ever see one side of the Moon.

Detailed explanation-2: -Yes, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and a handful of other active spacecraft are currently orbiting the Moon. One of the really cool CubeSats I’m excited about is NASA CAPSTONE, which will be joining these other spacecraft in orbit around the Moon.

Detailed explanation-3: -The “traditional” moon count most people are familiar with stands at 224: One moon for Earth; Two for Mars; 92 at Jupiter; 83 at Saturn; 27 at Uranus; 14 at Neptune; and five for dwarf planet Pluto.