Our nearest celestial neighbor revolves around Earth every 27 days at a distance of roughly 240,000 miles. Formed billions of years ago alongside our planet, the moon has played a major role in world religion and culture, and it is the only celestial body humanity has visited—so far. Discover the fascinating facts about the moon in our collection of the internet's best resources.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
This interactive project lets you experience Apollo 11 in real time—listening to exchanges between the astronauts and NASA’s Mission Control as they guided humanity’s first journey to the lunar surface and safely home.
Planned for a 2027 launch, NASA Gateway is a lunar-orbiting space station meant to support Artemis lunar missions and future Mars travel. This resource includes an interactive 3D model of the proposed station’s modules and layout.
Mental Floss digs into the history behind the fable, which dates back as far as the 1500s, when it was mentioned in "The Proverbs of John Heywood." Even NASA has gotten in on the joke, tweeting a (supposedly) doctored photograph showing the moon’s expiration date.
Large mantle structures beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean may be the buried remains of Thea, a large Mars-sized planet that collided with Earth. The theory is supported by isotopic evidence from volcanic and lunar rocks.
On Sept. 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy set forth this argument for the effort to land humans on the moon’s surface, casting the Apollo mission in terms of historic human ambitions.
Within the distinct traditions of Christianity and Islam, the moon became a central metaphor and sign for religious teaching. For Christians, its light was used to explain Jesus' humanity with the light of the sun (divinity). For Muslims, the moon represented a cosmic longing for god.
In the 17th century, Galileo's observations suggested the moon could be inhabited, leading to fictional speculations about lunar life. In the 19th century, stories were published claiming the discovery of various creatures, including human-bats. The Apollo missions in the 20th century explored the possibility of life there, but further exploration showed this idea to be less likely than before.
Driven by tidal forces, the effect is minimal and slow, ensuring stable tidal patterns and lunar cycles. Earth's rotation slows down as the Moon gains orbital momentum, slowly lengthening the day over time.
On the night of July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped down the lunar module's ladder onto the moon's surface. The broadcast was watched by an estimated 650 million people—about a fifth of the then global population.
The Moon's declination varies between approximately +28.7 degrees and -28.7 degrees, ensuring it rises and sets between latitudes of approximately 61.3 degrees north and south. This means there are places on Earth where the Moon is never visible above the horizon and places where it temporarily does not set.
From roughly 60 miles above the Earth's surface to farther than light has traveled during the entire age of the universe, space has captured human imagination for millennia. Explore the final frontier with the best resources curated from across the internet.