Moon

The Moon (in Greek: σελήνη Selene, in Latin: Luna) is Earth's only natural satellite. It is one of the largest natural satellites in the Solar System, and, among planetary satellites, the largest relative to the size of the planet it orbits (its primary). It is the second-densest satellite among those whose densities are known (after Jupiter's satellite Io).

The Moon is thought to have formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago, not long after Earth. There are several hypotheses for its origin; the most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia.

The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. It is the second-brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth's sky after the Sun, as measured by illuminance on Earth's surface. Although it can appear a very bright white, its surface is actually dark, with a reflectance just slightly higher than that of worn asphalt. Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have, since ancient times, made the Moon an important cultural influence on language, calendars, art, and mythology.

Moon (visual novel)

Moon (styled as Moon.) is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of Nexton, released on November 21, 1997 playable on Windows PCs. The game was described by the development team as a "Reaching the Heart AVG" (心に届くAVG, Kokoro ni Todoku AVG). The story follows the protagonist Ikumi Amasawa, a girl who joins an organization called Fargo in the hopes of discovering why and how her mother died, who was a member of the same group. The gameplay in Moon follows a branching plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the three female main characters. The game ranked twice in the national top 50 for best-selling PC games sold in Japan.

Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel brand Key. Moon was the starting point for Key's origins, and was the first time the principal Key team was formed. A novel based on the game written by Midori Tateyama was released in July 1998 by Movic. The game's original soundtrack was released bundled with Dōsei's soundtrack in August 2000 at Comiket 58; Dōsei was Tactics' first game. Moon has been referenced in other media not directly related to the game, such as in Tactics' third game One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, and in the second anime adaptation of Key's first game Kanon.

Natural satellite

A natural satellite is a celestial body that orbits another celestial body of greater mass (e.g., a planet, star, or dwarf planet), which is called its primary. For example, the Moon is a natural satellite of Earth, and Earth is a natural satellite of the Sun.

In the Solar System there are 173 known natural satellites which orbit within 6 planetary satellite systems. In addition, several other objects are known to have satellites, including three IAU-listed dwarf planets: Pluto, Haumea, and Eris.As of January 2012, over 200 minor-planet moons have been discovered. There are 76 known objects in the asteroid belt with satellites (five with two each), four Jupiter trojans, 39 near-Earth objects (two with two satellites each), and 14 Mars-crossers. There are also 84 known natural satellites of trans-Neptunian objects. Some 150 additional small bodies have been observed within the rings of Saturn, but only a few were tracked long enough to establish orbits. Planets around other stars are likely to have satellites as well, and although numerous candidates have been detected to date, none have yet been confirmed.

List of minor Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American franchise which spans several media and genres. It began in 1992 with the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, written by Joss Whedon and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, and was resurrected as the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997. The show's popularity caused it to spawn a multitude of Expanded Universe tie-in material such as comic books, novels, and video games, as well as a spin-off program entitled Angel. In 2007, four years after the television series' seventh and final season, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was officially continued in the comic book Season Eight. The following is a list of minor recurring characters who appear in the franchise.

A

Aluwyn

(a.k.a. Saga Vasuki)

Amanda

Amanda is a Potential Slayer who appears in Season Seven, played by Sarah Hagan. A Sunnydale High student and member of the swing choir, she first appears in the episode "Help" as part of the seemingly-random stream of students showing up at Buffy's guidance office. Amanda was sent to Buffy for beating up another student who was picking on her. In the later episode "Potential", it is revealed that Amanda is in fact a Potential Slayer, and she aptly slays a vampire who threatens her and Dawn. Afterwards, Amanda moves into the Summers' residence, where she trains and becomes friends with her fellow Potentials. In the final episode of the show, "Chosen", Amanda is activated as a Slayer along with the other Potentials and battles against an army of Turok-Han vampires. She is last seen falling to the ground dead after her neck was snapped by a Turok-Han. She was the first Potential to kill a vampire and the first one to kill a Turok-Han.

Ben (singer)

Ben (born Bernhard Albrecht Matthias Lasse Blümel on May 15, 1981, in Berlin) is a German singer, songwriter, and occasional voice actor and TV host.

His greatest success was 2002 with the hit single "Engel", a collaboration with singer Gim. He was also successful as TV presenter of the music show The Dome (RTL II), Toggo Music (Super RTL) and Bravo TV (Pro 7).

He was the narrator in the German version of the 2006 Canadian-French animal film La Planète blanche (Der weisse Planet).

Discography

Albums

Singles

DVDs

Barnyard (film)

Barnyard (also known as Barnyard: The Original Party Animals) is a 2006 American-Germancomputer-animated comedy film, distributed by Paramount Pictures, co-produced by Nickelodeon Movies, O Entertainment and Omation Animation Studio, directed by Steve Oedekerk (who was also the principal screenwriter) with music by John Debney and produced by Steve Oedekerk and Paul Marshal. It was released on August 4, 2006. The film stars the voices of Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, Wanda Sykes, Andie MacDowell and David Koechner. Most of the production was carried out in San Clemente, California. The film is the second Nickelodeon movie to spin-off into a TV series, the first being Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. The film grossed $116.5 million worldwide against a $51 million production budget.

Plot

Otis is a carefree cow who prefers play with his friends rather than accept responsibility. His adoptive father Ben is the leader of the barnyard. After Otis interrupts a barnyard meeting with his wild antics, Ben has a talk with his son, warning him that he will never be happy if he spends his life partying without acting more maturely. Otis ignores his advice and leaves to have fun with his friends Pip the Mouse, Pig the pig, Freddy the Ferret, and Peck the Rooster. That same day, Otis meets a pregnant cow named Daisy, who is accompanied by another cow, Bessy.