The Moon is our closest neighbour and the only place in the Solar System, other than Earth, that humans have set foot on. The Moon is desert-like, with plain, mountains and valleys, and a black sky. It is covered with craters, because there is no atmosphere to protect it from space rocks.
Moon landings
Twelve people have walked on the Moon, the first being Neil Armstrong. People have driven cars on the Moon, called Lunar Rovers, and even played golf!
Moon Exploration
People last visited the Moon in 1972, but the footprints they left will last for millions of years because there is no wind to blow them away. This means future Moon explorers will be able to see them.
Earthrise
Apollo 8 was the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. The photograph was taken on Christmas Eve 1968.
Solar eclipse
Sometimes when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, the Moon briefly blocks out light from the Sun, causing an eclipse to be seen on Earth.
Mining the Moon
In the future there could be a Moon base, where people could live. Some scientists are even interested in mining the Moon for resources they could turn into rocket fuel.
How the Moon formed?
Scientists think the Moon was formed when the Solar System was very young and an object about the size of Mars collided with the young Earth. They think the Moon is debris from the collision, pulled together in Earth’s orbit by gravity.
Picture Credit : Google