Earth's Moon Facts

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. A satellite is an object that moves around a planet in space. The Moon is about one-fourth the size of Earth and is much smaller than our planet.

The Moon does not make its own light. Instead, it reflects light from the Sun. When we look up at night, we see the Moon shining because sunlight bounces off its surface. The Moon's surface is covered with craters, which are holes made by rocks called meteoroids that crash into it.

The Moon orbits, or moves around, Earth about once every 27 days. As it moves, the shape of the Moon we see changes. These different shapes are called phases. Some common phases are the full moon, new moon, and crescent moon. The changing phases happen because of the way sunlight hits the Moon as it moves around Earth.

The Moon has a strong effect on Earth. Its gravity helps control the tides in our oceans. When the Moon is overhead, it pulls on the water and causes the ocean level to rise. This is called high tide. The Moon also makes the night sky brighter and helps animals like sea turtles know when to lay their eggs.

Sometimes, the Moon blocks the Sun or passes into Earth's shadow. This is called an eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun from our view. During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon, making it look dark or reddish.

Interesting Fact: The Moon is slowly moving away from Earth by about 3.8 centimeters each year!