Moons · Earth's moon
The Moon
384,400 km from Earth · Light crosses it in 0.012 seconds
- Across
- 3,475 km
- Vs Earth
- 0.27× Earth
- Mass
- 1.23% of Earth
About
The Moon formed when a Mars-sized body struck the young Earth and the debris pulled itself together in orbit. It steadies our planet's tilt, raises the tides, and is the only world other than Earth that humans have stood on.
It drifts about 3.8 cm farther from Earth every year.
At a glance
| Distance | 384,400 km |
|---|---|
| Day and month | Both 27.3 days |
| Gravity | 17% of Earth's |
| Temperature | −173 to 127 °C |
Did you know
- Because its spin and orbit match, it keeps one face toward us; the far side was not seen until 1959.
- It drifts about 3.8 cm farther away each year, and Earth's days grow slightly longer as a result.
- Twelve people walked on it between 1969 and 1972. Their footprints will last millions of years.