Tiny Moons

Synopsis

Tiny Moons is a collection of essays about food and belonging. Nina Mingya Powles journeys between Wellington, Kota Kinabalu and Shanghai, tracing the constants in her life: eating and cooking, and the dishes that have come to define her. Through childhood snacks, family feasts, Shanghai street food and student dinners, she attempts to find a way back towards her Chinese-Malaysian heritage.

Summary

Chapter 1: The Moon and the Sea

* Concept: The Moon's gravity influences the Earth's tides.
* Real Example: Spring tides (highest tides) occur when the Moon is new or full, with the Sun aligned with the Earth and Moon.

Chapter 2: A Journey to the Moon

* Concept: Spacecraft can orbit or land on the Moon, providing data about its surface, composition, and atmosphere.
* Real Example: The Apollo missions (1969-1972) successfully landed humans on the Moon, bringing back rock and soil samples.

Chapter 3: The Moon's Surface

* Concept: The Moon's surface is covered in craters, mountains, and valleys, formed by meteorite impacts and volcanic activity.
* Real Example: The Mare Tranquillitatis, where the Apollo 11 mission landed, is a vast lava plain.

Chapter 4: The Moon's Interior

* Concept: The Moon's interior is stratified, with a crust, mantle, and core.
* Real Example: Seismic data from lunar landings has provided information about the Moon's internal structure and composition.

Chapter 5: The Moon's Atmosphere

* Concept: The Moon has a very thin atmosphere called an exosphere, primarily composed of helium and argon.
* Real Example: The exosphere is too thin to protect the Moon's surface from radiation or erosion.

Chapter 6: The Moon's History

* Concept: The Moon formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago from a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized object.
* Real Example: Lunar rock samples have revealed evidence of a violent early history and subsequent volcanic activity.

Chapter 7: The Moon and the Earth-Sun System

* Concept: The Moon plays a crucial role in stabilizing Earth's rotation axis and influencing the Earth's climate.
* Real Example: The Moon's gravitational pull stabilizes Earth's wobble, preventing extreme climatic shifts.

Chapter 8: The Moon and Astronomy

* Concept: The Moon has been a source of scientific inquiry since ancient times, providing insights into the universe.
* Real Example: Aristarchus of Samos used the Moon to estimate the distance from Earth to the Sun in the 3rd century BC.

Chapter 9: The Moon and Human Exploration

* Concept: Humans have a rich history of exploring the Moon, from early probes to crewed missions.
* Real Example: The Artemis program aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by the mid-2020s.

Chapter 10: The Future of the Moon

* Concept: The Moon holds potential as a resource for scientific research, resource extraction, and even human habitation.
* Real Example: Plans are underway to develop lunar bases and potentially establish a permanent presence on the Moon.