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The Mass of the Moon — Reading Comprehension

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5-PS2-1

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This passage explains how the Moon’s mass is about 1/80th of Earth’s mass, giving it weaker gravity that affects how things move on its surface. Students will learn how astronauts weigh less on the Moon and how scientists study its mass to learn about the formation of planets and moons. This passage supports NGSS 5-PS2-1 by connecting the concept of gravity and motion to space science. It also explains how engineers use knowledge about mass to plan safe missions, making it a great resource for science reading comprehension in the upper elementary classroom.

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Mass of the Moon

The Moon is Earth’s closest neighbor in space. Scientists use the word mass to describe how much ‘stuff’ or matter makes up an object. The Moon’s mass is about 73 billion trillion kilograms. That sounds huge, but compared to Earth, it’s much less. In fact, the Moon’s mass is only about 1/81 of Earth’s mass. If Earth were the size of a basketball, the Moon would be like a tennis ball. The Moon is smaller and also much lighter.

Why does mass matter? Mass affects gravity, which is the force that pulls objects together. The Moon’s gravity is about 1/6 as strong as Earth’s. That means you could jump six times higher on the Moon than on Earth! A kid who weighs 60 pounds on Earth would only weigh 10 pounds on the Moon. This weaker gravity also made it easier for astronauts to carry heavy equipment during the Apollo missions. It’s also why you see videos of astronauts bouncing and hopping on the Moon’s surface.

The Moon’s mass is important for another reason: it helps create tides on Earth. The Moon’s gravity pulls on Earth’s oceans, causing the water to rise and fall. These are called tides. Without the Moon’s mass and gravity, our tides would be much smaller.

How did scientists figure out the Moon’s mass? They studied how the Moon’s gravity affects the path of spacecraft flying nearby and how it pulls on Earth. By measuring these effects, they can calculate the Moon’s mass very accurately.

Scientists believe the Moon formed when a Mars-sized object hit the early Earth. The crash sent rocky debris into space, and the debris came together to make the Moon. The Moon is like Earth’s little sibling—made of similar rocky stuff but much smaller and lighter, following Earth around like a loyal friend!

Interesting Fact: If you could play basketball on the Moon, you could dunk every time, thanks to low gravity!

How much is the Moon's mass compared to Earth?

About 1/81 of Earth's massThe same as Earth'sTwice Earth's massTen times Earth's mass

What causes tides on Earth?

Moon's gravityEarth's windSun's heatRainfall

How much would a 60-pound kid weigh on the Moon?

10 pounds60 pounds36 pounds100 pounds

Why can astronauts hop easily on the Moon?

Weaker gravityStronger gravityNo gravityHeavy equipment

How did scientists measure the Moon's mass?

Studied gravity effectsCounted cratersVisited the MoonMeasured with a scale

What would happen if the Moon had more mass?

Stronger gravity and tidesNo effectLess gravitySmaller Moon

The Moon's mass creates gravity. True or false?

TrueFalse

What does 'mass' mean?

Amount of matterHow fast something movesHow bright something isHow hot something gets

Perfect For:

👩‍🏫 Teachers

• Reading comprehension practice
• Auto-graded assessments
• Literacy skill development

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents

• Reading practice at home
• Comprehension improvement
• Educational reading time

🏠 Homeschoolers

• Reading curriculum support
• Independent reading practice
• Progress monitoring

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