Glowing like a silent guardian in the night sky, the moon is the fifth-largest satellite in the solar system and orbits Earth at an average distance of approximately 384,399 kilometres. With a diameter of about 3,474 kilometres—roughly one-quarter that of Earth—it exerts only one-sixth of our planet"s gravity. This is why astronauts famously bounce when they walk on its surface. The moon"s surface is mostly covered with rock and fine lunar dust, created by billions of years of impacts from meteoroids and micrometeorites. This powdery material, called regolith, gives the moon its grey, dusty appearance.
Photo of the moons surface through a telescope
Today in History
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An ultralight aircraft flying over the sands of Namibia
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Sea otter, Glacier Bay, Alaska
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Porthcawl lighthouse, Wales
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Maasai giraffes
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Icicles of Misotsuchi, Chichibu, Japan
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Copper Falls State Park, Wisconsin, USA
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Hoodoos, Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
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Lake Tyrrell, Victoria, Australia
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Cenote Nicte-Ha, Tulum, Mexico
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Temple of Hathor, Dendera Temple Complex, Qena, Egypt
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Rolands Breach, Spain
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The Monastery of Roussanou
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Bodie State Historic Park, California, United States
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Blue Spring, Te Waihou Walkway, New Zealand
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Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA
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Dolphin pod near Réunion island
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St. Finians Bay, County Kerry, Ireland
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Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada
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Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
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Burchells zebras
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Yurts in Mongolia
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West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut, USA
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Brown pelican, San Diego, California, United States
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Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida, United States
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Misool, Raja Ampat Islands
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Fumacinha Waterfall, Chapada Diamantina, Brazil
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Roller coaster in Nagashima Spa Land, Mie Prefecture, Japan
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Jeju Island, South Korea
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Ring-tailed lemur
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Avalanche Lake Trail at Adirondack High Peaks, New York, United States