As the full Moon approaches, its growing brightness tends to capture our attention. The Moon has been the Earth's companion in the Solar System for almost 5 billion years. The Moon makes Earth more livable planet by moderating our home planet's wobble on its axis, leading to a relatively stable climate. So, here are some interesting facts about the Moon.
1. The Moon is Earth's only Natural satellite.
2. Moon shines bright in the night sky but it doesn't produce its own light, it reflects light from the Sun.
3. The Moon is drifting away approximately 3.8 cm from the Earth every year.
4. The rise and fall of the tides on Earth is caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon.
5. Moon's gravity is only one - sixth the Earth's gravity. It means you'd weigh much less on the Moon.
6. The Moon has no atmosphere.
7. The Moon has quakes called as 'Moonquakes'.
8. Eclipses are reversed when viewing from the Moon.
9. The Moon always shows Earth the same face because it is in synchronous rotation with Earth.
10. There is water on the Moon.
11. We only ever see around 60% of the Moon's surface.
12. The Moon has only been walked on by 12 people, all American men.
13. The first person to set foot on the Moon was Neil Armstrong.
14. The Moon was made when a Mars - sized rock, named Theia smashed into Earth.
15. The Moon is the fifth largest natural satellite in th Solar System.
16. The Moon is the second densest satellite after the Jupiter's satellite 'lo'.
17. The Sun and the Moon are not same in size. The Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun.
18. The dark side of the Moon is a myth.
19. The Moon's temperature varies from 127° C to -153° C.
20. The Moon takes 27.3 days to travel all around the Earth and complete its orbit.
21. The USA's NASA Apollo 11 mission was the first manned Moon landing.
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