Calling all budding young space cadets! Join us as we head into the universe to discover ten fascinating facts about the Moon…

10 facts about the Moon

  • 1) The Moon is a dusty ball of rock, measuring 3,476km in diameter – that’s roughly a quarter of the size of Earth.
  • 2) Its surface is home to mountains, huge craters and flat planes called ‘seas’ made of hardened lava.

    • Check out our magazine!

    National Geographic Kids is an exciting monthly read for planet-passionate boys and girls, aged 6-13!

    Packed full of fun features, jaw-dropping facts and awe-inspiring photos – it’ll keep you entertained for hours!

    Find our magazine in all good newsagents, or become a subscriber and have it delivered to your door! Ask your parents to check out the ‘Subscribe’ tab on our website!

    (AD)
  • 3) The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite – a celestial body that orbits a planet. Its orbit around our planet is shaped like a slightly squashed circle known as an ellipse.Facts about the moon - image 2
  • 4) It takes 27.3 days for the Moon to travel all the way around the Earth and complete its orbit.
  • 5) Although the Moon shines bright in the night sky, it doesn’t produce its own light. We see the Moon because it reflects light from the Sun.
  • 6) Ever noticed how the Moon appears to change shape each night? That’s because as the Moon orbits the Earth, the Sun lights up different parts of its surface – so it’s just our view of the Moon that’s changing, not the Moon itself. Find out more in our fascinating phases of the Moon feature!Facts about the moon - image 1
  • 7) As the Moon travels, it rotates on its own axis, just like our planet. It takes roughly the same amount of time for the Moon to make a full rotation as it does for it to complete its orbit. This means we only ever see around 60% of the Moon’s surface from Earth! The part that faces Earth is known as the ‘near side’ and the other, the ‘far side’.
  • 8) The temperature on the Moon varies from super hot to super cold! When the Sun hits its surface, temperatures can reach a scorching 127°C. But when the Sun ‘goes down’, temperatures can plummet to around -153°C. Brr…Facts about the moon - image 2
  • 9) Like Earth, the Moon has gravity (the force that pulls things towards the ground). But the Moon’s gravity is weaker, only one sixth of the Earth’s gravity, in fact. That means you’d weigh much less if  you were to stand on the Moon!
  • 10) Scientists aren’t entirely sure how the Moon formed. A popular theory is that a Mars-sized rock, named Theia, crashed into Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. The debris from the collision clumped together to make what is now… Our Moon!

What do you think of our facts about the Moon? Out of this world, right?! Leave a comment below and let us know…

Likes

LEAVE A COMMENT

THANK YOU

Your comment will be checked and approved shortly.

WELL DONE,
YOUR COMMENT
HAS BEEN ADDED!

COMMENTS

  • Aubrey ^^

    I'm doing a project for school and I never knew this much about the moon!

  • tiffany.butler

  • stephanie9964

    COOL!

  • Hannah Zhang

    COOL!

  • amc30094027

    AMAZING+COOL+INTERESTING

  • ail2898

    Nice

  • Friend_gamer45

    This is interesting stuff

  • Friend_gamer45

    nice!

  • Hi

  • DreamWasTaken

    Nice

  • Ee

  • Yyyyyu

    Good

  • crabsy

    yay

  • harrison

    hi

  • harrison

  • isabella

    it is cool

  • Nick

    interesting!

  • nalani

    this is so cool

  • jacob

  • abr3809

    i love this

  • Hannah

    Awesome facts!

  • Afiq

    Well nice

  • Ryan

    Cccccccccoooooooooooolllllllllllllllll

  • Afiq

  • e

  • noname

    I want to go to the moon!

  • Lucinda