Fascinating and lesser-known facts about the Moon

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

Earth's most constant companion and the easiest celestial object to find in the night sky, the Moon has been fascinating people since the beginning of time. Throughout the centuries, the Moon has been the center of countless myths, legends, and stories around the world. And in modern times, our celestial neighbor has been the focus of both films and songs, making us even more enchanted by it. Not to mention actual astronauts walking on it!

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria"

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

Those dark spots are remnants of ancient magma flow that caused the rock surface to appear darker. They were dubbed "Maria," Latin for seas, by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas.

The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

The Moon doesn't produce its own light, it actually reflects the light of the Sun. And its brightness depends on the exact angle between the Earth, Moon, and Sun.

Moonquakes exist

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

During studies of the Moon that were conducted between 1969 and 1972, Apollo astronauts installed seismometers that discovered rumbling. These moonquakes registered up to 5.5 on the Richter scale.

The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

It might look like you can almost touch the Moon on a nice, clear night. However, it's about 226,000 miles (363,300 km) away from Earth.

A dust cloud surrounds the Moon

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

It's no visible to us, but the Moon s clouded with space dust. The cloud is primarily made up of tiny dust grains, which come from the Moon's surface.

The Moon temperature

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

Unlike Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere to help shield it from the radiation of the Sun. Therefore, when the Sun hits its surface, it reaches a scorching 260°F (126°C). In contrast, on the far side of the Moon where the Sun doesn't shine, it can fall to -387°F (-232°C).

The Moon moves further from the Earth every year

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

While it's impossible for us to notice this from our distance, the Moon actually moves 1.49 inches (3.8 cm) away from Earth every year. The migration of the Moon is mainly due to the Earth's tides. Tides raised in the oceans causes drag and slows down the Earth's spin rate. This results in the loss of angular momentum, which is compensated by the Moon speeding up and moving further away.

We always see the same side of the Moon

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

The Moon orbits Earth once every 27.3 days, and spins on its axis once every 27.3 days. So even when the Moon is rotating, it always keeps the same side toward us. This is known as synchronous rotation.

The crust of the Moon varies in thickness

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

There's a wide range of density on the Moon due to craters and other phenomena. Some areas record up to 37 miles (60 km) of thickness, while other areas record almost nothing.

Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

On Earth, light is reflected through air molecules, which is why the sky looks blue and still allows objects to be well-lit, even when they're not in direct sunlight. Known as Rayleigh scattering, this doesn't happen on the Moon, as there's no air up there. This is why shadows are darker on the Moon.

The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

The Moon is around 27% the size of the Earth. Picture it like this: if Earth were a tennis ball, then the Moon would be a golf ball.

The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

The Moon is covered with impact craters, which gives it that recognizable Swiss cheese-look. The largest one is the South Pole-Aitken crater, which spans a whopping 1,550 miles (2,494 km).

The Moon can affect how we sleep

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

A study conducted at Switzerland's Basel University in 2013 discovered that the Moon influenced subjects to take longer to fall asleep, sleep less, and spend fewer moments in a state of deep sleep. This was due to the lunar cycle, and not the brightness of the Full Moon.

Lunar eclipse

The dark spots on the Moon are called "Maria", The Moon's brightness is due to the Sun, Moonquakes exist, The Moon is about 32 Earths away from us, A dust cloud surrounds the Moon, The Moon temperature, The Moon moves further from the Earth every year, We always see the same side of the Moon, The crust of the Moon varies in thickness, Shadows on the Moon are darker than on Earth, The Moon is just over one-quarter the size of the Earth, The South Pole-Aitken crater is the largest on the Moon, The Moon can affect how we sleep, Lunar eclipse

A lunar eclipse lasts longer than a solar eclipse because Earth’s shadow is much longer. In a lunar eclipse, Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon.

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