The Moon is Earth's natural satellite and the closest large celestial body to Earth. It is the second brightest object in the sky, after the Sun. Apollo 11, the first space mission to put people on the Moon, was launched on July 16, 1969. Here are some most amazing facts about Moon. Also Read: Interesting Facts About Mercury Planet
The Moon formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago, around 60–175 million years after the birth of our Solar System.
The Moon is a dusty ball of rock, measuring 3,476km in diameter – that’s roughly 1/4th the size of Earth.
The moon is about 384,400 km away from Earth.
Its gravity is 1/6th that of Earth’s, which is why astronauts appear to float or move in slow motion.
It takes 27 days for the Moon to go around Earth and 27 days to rotate once on its axis.
The Moon has eight main phases, from new moon to full moon, occurring in a 29.5-day cycle.
The Moon’s surface has craters, mountains, and flat plains called Maria, which are ancient volcanic basins.
The Moon has a very thin and weak atmosphere, called an exosphere. It does not provide any protection from the Sun’s radiation or impacts from meteoroids.
The Moon is the fifth largest natural satellite in the Solar System. It is Earth's only natural satellite.
The same side of the Moon always faces Earth due to tidal locking, meaning its rotation period is the same as its orbit around Earth.
There is no liquid water on the Moon, but there may be frozen water at its poles.
Since the Moon has a thin atmosphere, sound cannot travel there.
It is the only celestial body beyond Earth – so far – visited by human beings.
The Moon is moving approximately 3.8 cm away from our planet every year.
Temperatures on the Moon can spike to 121°C in daylight, then plummet after nightfall to -133°C.
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