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Earth's Moon
OVERVIEW
IN DEPTH
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LUNAR PHASES AND ECLIPSES
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Lunar Facts
Facts About The Moon
The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite and the fifth largest moon in the solar
system.
The Moon’s presence helps stabilize our planet’s wobble and moderate our climate.
The Moon’s distance from Earth is about 240,000 miles (385,000km).
The Moon has a very thin atmosphere called an exosphere.
The Moon’s surface is cratered and pitted from comet and asteroid impacts.
Earth's Moon is the only place beyond Earth where humans have set foot.
The Latest
NASA's Artemis Rover to Land Near Nobile Region of Moon's South Pole
The brightest and largest object in our night sky, the Moon makes Earth a more
livable planet by moderating our home planet's wobble on its axis, leading to a
relatively stable climate. It also causes tides, creating a rhythm that has guided
humans for thousands of years. The Moon was likely formed after a Mars-sized body
collided with Earth.
Earth's Moon is the fifth largest of the 200+ moons orbiting planets in our solar
system.
Earth's only natural satellite is simply called "the Moon" because people didn't
know other moons existed until Galileo Galilei discovered four moons orbiting
Jupiter in 1610.
NASA currently has three robotic spacecraft exploring the Moon – Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter and the twin ARTEMIS spacecraft (not to be confused with
NASA's new Artemis program to send astronauts back to the Moon).
Explore Earth's Moon In Depth ›
These maps of the near and far side of the Moon show gravity gradients as measured
by NASA's GRAIL mission. Red and blue areas indicate stronger gradients due to
underlying mass anomalies. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/CSM
10 Need-to-Know Things About the Moon
1
SMALL COMPANION
If you set a single green pea next to a U.S. nickel, you'd have a pretty good idea
of the size of the Moon compared to Earth.
2
CONSTANT COMPANION
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It goes around the Earth at a distance
of about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers).
3
LOCKED UP
The Earth and Moon are tidally locked. Their rotations are so in sync we only see
one side of the Moon. Humans didn't see the lunar far side until a Soviet
spacecraft flew past in 1959.
VIEWING COPERNICUS
4
CAN STAND ON IT
The Moon has a solid, rocky surface cratered and pitted from impacts by asteroids,
meteorites, and comets.
5
BRING A SPACESUIT
The Moon has a very thin and tenuous atmosphere called an exosphere. It is not
breathable.
6
MOONLESS
The Moon has no moons.
7
RINGLESS
The Moon has no rings.
8
MANY VISITORS
More than 105 robotic spacecraft have been launched to explore the Moon. It is the
only celestial body beyond Earth – so far – visited by human beings.
9
POTENTIAL FOR LIFE?
The Moon's weak atmosphere and its lack of liquid water cannot support life as we
know it.
10
MOONWALKERS
Apollo astronauts brought back a total of 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of lunar rocks
and soil to Earth. We are still studying them.
APOLLO 11 BOOTPRINT
Exploration
The Moon was the first place beyond Earth humans tried to reach as the Space Age
began in the late 1950s. More than 100 robotic explorers from more than half a
dozen nations have since sent spacecraft to the Moon. Nine crewed missions have
flown to the Moon and back.
Artemis logo
With Earth Blue, Rocket Red and Lunar Silver for colors, every part of the identity
has meaning. Credit: NASA
The former Soviet Union logged the first successes with its Luna program, starting
with Luna 1 in 1959. NASA followed with a series of robotic Ranger and Surveyor
spacecraft that performed increasingly complex tasks that made it possible for the
first human beings to walk on the Moon in 1969.
Twenty-four humans have traveled from the Earth to the Moon. Twelve walked on its
surface. The last human visited the lunar surface in 1972.
Now NASA is gearing up to set up a permanent lunar presence on the Moon. The
Artemis program will send the first woman and the next man to the Moon and develop
a sustainable human presence on the Moon and set the stage for further human
exploration at Mars.
The program takes its name from the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the
Moon in Greek mythology. Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in
a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration of the
Moon and Mars.
More
NASA's Moon to Mars Strategy
Gravity Assist Podcast: What's so Special About the Moon?
FAQ: What is a Lunar Eclipse?
During a lunar eclipse, Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the
sunlight from falling on the Moon. There are two kinds of lunar eclipses:
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon and Sun are on opposite sides of Earth.
A partial lunar eclipse happens when only part of Earth's shadow covers the Moon.
NASA Lunar Eclipse Guides: 2021-2030.
During some stages of a lunar eclipse, the Moon can appear reddish. This is because
the only remaining sunlight reaching the Moon at that point is from around the
edges of the Earth, as seen from the Moon's surface. From there, an observer during
an eclipse would see all Earth's sunrises and sunsets at once.
All About Lunar Eclipses ›
Series of images showing a lunar eclipse
A composite of seven images shows the full Moon at perigee, or supermoon, during a
total lunar eclipse on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, in Denver. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Pop Culture
Our lunar neighbor has inspired stories since the first humans looked up at the sky
and saw its gray, cratered surface. Some observers saw among the craters the shape
of a person's face, so stories refer to a mysterious "man in the Moon." Hungrier
observers compared the craters to cheese and dreamed of an entire sphere made of
delicious dairy products.
Apollo 50th Anniversary
Who has Walked on the Moon?
The Moon made its film debut in a 1902 black and white silent French film called
"Le Voyage Dans la Lune" ("A Trip to the Moon"). And a year before astronauts
walked on the Moon, "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) told the story of astronauts on
an outpost on the Moon. Decades later, it is still widely regarded as one of the
best science fiction movies ever made.
American astronauts have planted six American flags on the Moon. But that doesn't
mean the United States has claimed it; in fact, an international law written in
1967 prevents any single nation from owning planets, stars, or any other natural
objects in space.
Illustration of the Moon
Kid-Friendly Moon
Most of the planets in our solar system – and some asteroids – have moons. Earth
has one moon. We call it "the Moon" because for a long time it was the only one we
knew about. Many languages have beautiful names for our Moon. It is "Luna" in
Italian, Latin, and Spanish, "Lune" in French, "Mond" in German, and "Selene" in
Greek.
Our Moon is like a desert with plains, mountains, and valleys. It also has many
craters, holes created when space rocks hit the surface at a high speed. There is
no air to breathe on the Moon.
The Moon travels around the Earth in an oval-shaped orbit. Scientists think the
Moon was formed long, long ago when Earth crashed into a Mars-sized object.
We always see the same side of the Moon from Earth. You have to go into space to
see the other side.
Visit NASA Space Place for more kid-friendly facts.
NASA Space Place: All About Earth's Moon ›
Resources
NASA: Moon to Mars
NASA’s Moon Portal
Artemis
Page Updated: August 9, 2021
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