Moon facts for kids

Meet the Moon

The Moon travels round Earth. The Moon is about 384,000 kilometres away. Its light takes just over a second to reach us. It is less than a third as wide as Earth.

The Moon spins once each time it circles Earth, so the same side always faces us. The far side gets just as much sunlight as the side we see. We just never see it from Earth.

Why does the Moon shine?

The Moon makes no light of its own. It shines with sunlight bouncing off it.

Why does it change shape?

The Moon's changing shapes are called phases. At new Moon, the sunlit half faces away from us, so the side we see is dark. From one full Moon to the next takes about 29 and a half days.

Gravity and footprints

Gravity on the Moon is about a sixth as strong as on Earth. On the Moon, you could jump about six times higher than you can on Earth.

There is no wind on the Moon. With no wind or rain, the astronauts' footprints are still there.

People on the Moon

Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Moon in 1969. Buzz Aldrin followed him about 20 minutes later. Between 1969 and 1972, twelve people walked on the Moon. They flew on six Apollo missions. The last two moonwalkers left in December 1972.

Drifting away

The Moon is slowly drifting away from Earth. It moves about 3.8 centimetres farther away each year, about as fast as your fingernails grow.

The Moon in a nutshell

• Travels round: Earth
• Distance from Earth: about 384,000 kilometres
• Size: less than a third as wide as Earth
• Its light: sunlight bouncing off it
• Gravity: about a sixth as strong as on Earth
• Full Moon to full Moon: about 29 and a half days
• People who have walked on it: twelve, between 1969 and 1972

Quick quiz: the Moon

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