A1_6 Chocolate Orange Moon

Abstract

In this paper we investigate whether it would be possible for the Sun to melt the Moon if it was replaced with a Chocolate Orange of equal volume. By determining the flux intercepted by the Moon from the Sun, we find that the Sun’s flux alone would be insufficient to melt the entire mass. Then, considering the limiting flux case we calculate that the maximum depth of chocolate melted over one half of the surface is 0.2 m in one melting cycle. Additionally, we also establish that the Chocolate Orange Moon does not radiate enough heat back into space for the melted material to reach its original temperature before it is illuminated by the Sun again.