THE MOON

The Moon is the brightest thing in the sky apart from the Sun. The Earth may only have one Moon, but it's a big one! The Earth's Moon is the fifth largest in the whole solar system. But it is still smaller than the Earth, so objects weigh less on the Moon than they do here. That's why the astronauts could enjoy bouncing around on the lunar surface.

Even though the Moon has no liquid water, it does have special "seas" and "land" on its surface. There are also many interesting features such as craters, mountain ranges, and lava plains. The interior of the Moon is made up of different layers of rock, some solid and some molten like lava. By studying the Moon's surface and interior, geologists can learn about the Moon's geological history and its information.

The footprints left behind by the Apollo astronauts will last for many thousands of years because there is no wind on the Moon. The Moon has no atmosphere, so there is no weather to erase the footprints. On the Earth, the atmosphere acts as a blanket, keeping the warmth of the Sun in even at night. Because there is no atmosphere on the Moon, the temperatures there are very hot during the day (100°C) and very cold at night (-173°C).