Moon: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026

News •

NASA’s CHAPEA Mars crew finally emerges after more than a year in isolation • Nov. 10, 2026, 12:02 AM ET (Science Daily)

Pentagon mulls placing fleet of military satellites around the Moon • Nov. 9, 2026, 2:08 PM ET (Ars Technica)

NASA Awards Moon Base Transportation, Technology, Science Projects • Nov. 7, 2026, 6:18 PM ET (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (.gov))

A dead star's mysterious rings reveal what could happen when our Sun dies • Nov. 6, 2026, 5:14 PM ET (Science Daily)

Bruneians awed by rare Jupiter lunar occultation • Nov. 4, 2026, 2:55 AM ET (Toronto Star)

Photos and Videos

near and far sides of Earth's Moon

Infographic titled Features of the Moon's Surface compares the near side and far side of the Moon. Labels identify dark, lava-filled maria; older, brighter highlands; impact craters; and lunar basins larger than 186 miles in diameter.

Earth relative in size to the Moon

Diagram showing Earth and Moon with labeled axes, orbital planes, and the barycentre, illustrating how both bodies orbit a shared center of mass rather than just the Earth.

Seven phases of the moon are shown in an arc across a starry night sky above a dark landscape with tree silhouettes.

Infographic detailing the Apollo program, featuring labeled diagrams of the Apollo Saturn V rocket, command and service modules, lunar module, and the Apollo mission flight path from Earth to the Moon and back. Key components such as engines, hatches, antennas, and fuel tanks are identified, with callouts explaining each module's role and functions. The lower section illustrates each stage of the Apollo flight path, showing the sequence of launch, lunar landing, and return to Earth.

Infographic timeline of NASA's Apollo missions, showing key dates, mission patches, astronaut names, mission achievements, time and distance statistics, and a map of Apollo landing sites on the Moon. Includes milestones such as Apollo 11's first Moon landing, Apollo 13's survival after an explosion, and total moonwalkers and human visitors.

Far side of the Moon

Look at the 3D map of the Moon as taken by the Clementine spacecraft

How to watch a solar eclipse

Five facts about solar eclipses

Why does the Moon always face Earth the same way?

What happens during a solar eclipse?

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extraterrestrial life: The Moon and Mercury

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View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

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Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

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The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet

Space Odyssey

The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet

Space Odyssey

Saturn. Saturn and its rings. Second largest planet of the solar system. Space Art

Planets and the Earth’s Moon

Saturn. Saturn and its rings. Second largest planet of the solar system. Space Art

Planets and the Earth’s Moon

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

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Model of a molecule. Atom, Biology, Molecular Structure, Science, Science and Technology. Homepage 2010 arts and entertainment, history and society

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