The Moon is the Earth’s nearest object in space. The Moon is a quarter the size of the Earth. It orbits 221,000 to 253,000 miles (356,000 to 407,000 km) away from Earth. The moonscape is made up of craters, rays from meteors, Maria(younger, dark plains), moon dust, and highlands.

Astronomers believe the Moon was created 4.5 million years ago when the Earth collided with a large body. Collision debris was thrown into space and formed the Moon.

The Moon’s gravity is 1/6 that of Earth. A person weighing 100 pounds (45 kg) on Earth would weigh less than 17 pounds (8 kg) on the Moon. The weak gravitational pull means that atmospheric gases cannot be held around the Moon. Without the protective atmosphere, temperatures range widely on the Moon. Nighttime temperatures are around -300^o F (-184^o C). Temperatures at noon are in the area of 214^o F (101^o C).

Standing on Earth, we can only see one side of the Moon. This occurs because the Moon rotates once during a single orbit around the Earth. Both the rotation and the orbit take 27.3 days. That means we always see the same side.

During the 1950’s and 1960’s, the U.S. and the Soviet Union launched probes with names such as Luna, Zond, Pioneer, Ranger, and Surveyor. These missions expanded our knowledge of the Moon by providing photographs and investigating rock and soil samples.

The Apollo missions were the height of man’s investigation of the Moon. This effort was the result of John F. Kennedy’s proposal to put a man on the Moon by January 1, 1970. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. He said, "That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." People’s interest in the Moon was at its peak. Additional Apollo missions increased man’s information about the Moon.

Although current space efforts are focused in visiting other celestial objects, the Moon remains the only place outside of the Earth that has actually be visited by humans.

Moon Facts

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