Solar system · Earth's satellite
The Moon
Moon
Our only natural satellite, probably born from a giant collision with the young Earth. It always keeps the same face to us.
Look for
The dark “seas” are old lava plains, the “man in the Moon” in the north and a rabbit in East Asia. Binoculars along the line between day and night show craters in sharp relief.
Did you know
It is drifting away from us by about 3.8 cm a year — measured by bouncing lasers off mirrors the Apollo astronauts left behind.
History
Twelve people walked on it between 1969 and 1972.