01 / CHANGING LIGHT
One Moon, many phases
As the Moon orbits Earth, we see different portions of its sunlit hemisphere. Its phases repeat about every 29.5 days.
← Solar SystemOur closest companion.
SOLAR SYSTEM / THE MOON
Our closest companion.
A world of quiet stories.
A rocky record of impacts and ancient lava, reflecting the light of our nearest star.
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DRAG TO ROTATE
ARTISTIC MODEL · TEXTURE & ROTATION NOT TO SCALEMEAN DISTANCE384,400 km
DIAMETER~3,474 km
SURFACE GRAVITY~⅙ of Earth’s
02 / THE SURFACE
Seas without water
Dark maria are ancient lava plains. Bright highlands and impact craters preserve a long geological history.
03 / EXPLORATION
Samples with stories
Apollo astronauts returned about 382 kilograms of lunar rocks and soil. Scientists continue to study them.
LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER
Small facts. Big discoveries.
The far side gets sunlight
The Moon rotates once per orbit, keeping roughly the same face toward Earth. Its far side is not permanently dark.
Ice in the shadows
Some permanently shadowed polar regions contain water ice.
A fragile atmosphere
Its extremely thin exosphere cannot support breathing.