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The Moon
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The Moon
Last modified: Monday, 6 April 2026, 2:29 PM
The Moon
What is the Moon?
The Moon is a large ball of rock.
It is the Earth's only natural satellite (an object that orbits a planet).
It measures 2160 miles in diameter which is about a quarter of the size of Earth.
The Moon has a rocky surface with mountains, huge craters caused by asteroid impacts, and flat plains called 'seas'.
The Moon may appear bright in the night sky, however it does not produce its own light. It reflects light from the Sun.
The Moon is the Earth's only natural satellite
How we see the Moon
The planet Saturn has 146 moons
Fascinating facts
- The temperatures on the Moon are extreme – they can be really hot or really cold. When the Sun's light hits the surface of the Moon, temperatures can reach a sizzling 127°C. Temperatures can plummet to a freezing -173°C when the surface of the Moon is in darkness.
- The Moon possesses gravity (the force that pulls things towards the ground) just like we have on Earth. However, the Moon's gravity is weaker, which is why astronauts appear to float across its surface.
- The Moon is a celestial body (a natural object found outside Earth's atmosphere) that orbits a planet. Earth only has one Moon where some planets have lots.
- The Moon was formed when a celestial body the size of Mars crashed into the Earth billions of years ago.
- We only ever see one side of the Moon from Earth, but this face looks different as it passes through different phases
- The Moon is slowly drifting away from the Earth, approximately 3 cm a year
How does the Moon move?
The Moon is constantly travelling around the Earth.
Like the Earth, the Moon rotates on its own axis as it orbits our planet.
It takes 27 days for the Moon to orbit our planet. In one year, the Moon can rotate around the Earth 13 times.
The moon rotates on it's own axis, like the Earth
The Moon
The Moon orbits the Earth and reflects light from the Sun which is why we see it in the night sky.
The Moon's surface is full of deep, wide craters caused by millions of years of strikes by asteroids and meteors.
American astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) became the first person to walk on the moon on 21 July 1969, saying the famous line "That's one small step for --- You can't use shortcodes inside element --- man, one giant leap for mankind.".
American astronaut Gene Cernan (1934-2017) on the surface of the moon with a lunar rover, which he used to drive across the cratered dusty landscape in 1972.
Did you know?
The diameter of the Moon is just a quarter (25%) of the size of the Earth.
The mass of the Moon is 1.2% that of the Earth.
Gravity on the lunar surface is about one-sixth of Earth's
The moon rotates on it's own axis, like the Earth
The Sun, Earth and Moon
The Sun, Earth and Moon are all spherical. This means they are shaped like a ball.
The Earth is constantly travelling around the Sun and the Moon around the Earth.
When you look up at the night sky, you may have noticed how the Moon appears to change shape. This is because we can only see the part of the Moon which is illuminated by the Sun as the Moon orbits the Earth.
The Moon does not actually change shape, we just see a different view of the Moon each night.
The Sun, Earth and Moon are all spherical
Phases of the Moon
Sometimes, you may notice the Moon getting smaller (waning) and larger (waxing). The different shapes that we see are called the phases of the Moon.
When we see a full Moon in the sky, the Earth is in between the Sun and the Moon.
We cannot see a new Moon because the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun so we are looking towards the side of the Moon that is not illuminated.
We see a different phase of the moon as the Earth orbits the Sun and the Moon orbits the Earth
How we see the Moon
Learn about the Neil Armstrong and the first men to step onto the Moon.
Did you know?
The Moon also affects our life on Earth.
The Moon's gravitational pull makes the Earth's seas and oceans move, this is why we get a low and high tide.
