In geophysical terms, the Moon is a planetary-mass object or satellite planet. Its mass is 1.2% that of the Earth, and its diameter is 3,474 km (2,159 mi), roughly one-quarter of Earth's (about as …

Jan 27, 2015 · If an object is not a star and is large enough for its gravity to squeeze it into a round or nearly round shape, it is a planet. By this definition, Earth’s moon qualifies as a planet.

Jan 30, 2025 · Earth's Moon records evidence of our solar system's history in the form of impact craters, cooled lava landforms, ancient ice deposits, and more. Apollo astronauts brought back …

Jan 31, 2025 · Moon, Earth’s sole natural satellite and nearest celestial body. Known since prehistoric times, it is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun. Its name in English, like that …

Feb 7, 2025 · The Moon makes Earth more livable by moderating our home planet’s wobble on its axis, leading to a relatively stable climate. It also causes tides, creating a rhythm that has …

Dec 24, 2024 · But is our moon actually a planet? The answer is technically no — at least according to NASA and the International Astronomical Union (IAU), an important global …

The brightest and largest object in our night sky, the Moon makes Earth a more livable planet by moderating our home planet's wobble on its axis, leading to a relatively stable climate. It also …

Jan 14, 2025 · Earth has just one moon – a rocky, cratered place, roughly a quarter the size of Earth and an average of 238,855 miles away. The Moon can be seen with the naked eye most …

Feb 3, 2025 · Naturally-formed bodies that orbit planets are called moons, or planetary satellites. Moons come in many shapes, sizes, and types. There are hundreds of moons in our solar …

Nov 22, 2023 · It orbits the Earth at an average distance of approximately 240,000 miles (384,000 km). The Moon completes an orbit of the Earth every 27.3 days (approximately 655 hours). …