Fascinating and lesser-known facts about the Moon

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 Moon is the result of space debris forming after a collision with Earth

Billions of years ago, Earth came into contact with a planet called Theia. The collision resulted in almost all the Earth and Theia becoming one body. The small part that was left behind became the Moon.

The United Nations has an Outer Space Treaty

Signed by the UN in 1967, the Outer Space Treaty was established to limit the potential of anyone claiming the Moon and other planets as their own.

The Moon is the Earth's only natural satellite

When you think of satellites, you might picture one that provides TV channels. However, a satellite is also a moon, planet, or machine that orbits a planet or star. And while the Moon is Earth's only natural satellite, it circles us with over 3,000 artificial ones, including Sputnik.

The Apollo astronauts left more than just a flag behind

Since the Apollo 11 mission took place in 1969, astronauts have left plenty of items on the Moon's surface. Objects like tools, food, human waste, and over 70 spacecraft vehicles are still up there.

China is the only country to land on the dark side of the Moon

In 2019, China landed with its spacecraft on the far side of the Moon. It was the first spacecraft in history to land on this unexplored area, which is never visible from Earth. There they studied the vast craters on the cold surface.

Each month's Full Moon has its own name

From January's Wolf Moon to September's Harvest Moon, ancient cultures have given full moons these names based on the behavior of the plants, animals, or weather.

The Moon is lemon-shaped

Most people think that the Moon is round, but it's actually shaped like a lemon. This is due to various factors, including impact craters and the gravity field that exists around it.

Earth's Moon is the fifth-largest in our solar system

Out of the 200 moons that are in our solar system, Earth's Moon ranks as the fifth largest. The biggest is Jupiter's moon, Ganymede, which is almost one-and-a-half times bigger than ours.

The Moon was once a hotbed of volcanic activity

In 2014, NASA reported that a team from Arizona State University discovered patches on the Moon, which originated from volcanic eruptions around 50 million years ago.

The Moon can influence Earth by gravity

When the Moon is at its perigee, i.e. when it is nearest to the Earth, the weather and tides tend to be unstable, with larger tides due to gravitational pull. And when the Moon is at its apogee, i.e. the farthest from the Earth, the weather and tides tend to be more predictable.

There's a body buried on the Moon

Eugene Shoemaker (1928-1997) was a geologist who was instrumental in planetary science. In 1998, his remains were launched in a memorial capsule aboard Lunar Prospector to the Moon. There it crashed onto the surface, making him the only human to have his remains on the Moon.

A full day on the Moon is much longer than on Earth

A full day on the Moon lasts about 29 Earth days on average, from one sunrise to the next. That's about 655 hours long.

Sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere changes the color of the Moon

The Moon gets its beautiful hues when the Sun's light passes through the Earth's atmosphere and reflects on it. For example, during a Harvest Moon, while farmers are working on their crops, dust particles are sent into the atmosphere. This helps the Sun's rays give the Moon its orange glow.

The Moon is 81 times lighter than Earth

The Moon is about 1.2% of Earth's mass, which means that the planet that we're living on weighs 81 times more than the lunar body.