The moon is Earth's satellite and orbits the Earth at a distance of about 384 thousand km (239 thousand miles). It takes the moon 27 Earth days to rotate on its axis and orbit the earth, which is why we always see the same face of the moon.
Made up primarily of dense rocks that are rich in magnesium and iron, the the lunar surface by weight is roughly 43 percent oxygen, 20 percent silicon, 19 percent magnesium, 10 percent iron, 3 percent calcium, 3 percent aluminum, 0.42 percent chromium, 0.18 percent titanium and 0.12 percent manganese.
Its atmosphere cannot support life, but the moon's influence on life on Earth is undeniable. It's gravitational pull causes the Earth's tides to rise and fall, predictably. There are technically eight phases of the moon one when the moon is dark, three as it's becoming full, a full moon, and three phases as it decreases.
The phases are: new, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent. During eclipses, the moon, Earth and sun are in a straight line casting a shadow on Earth.
(Photo: Shutterstock / Sources: NASA, Space.com)
How the moon messes with your sleep
August 1, 2019, 12:12 p.m. by Starre Vartan
It's the lunar cycle, not the light, that affects your shut-eye.
How moonlight affects animals and plants
July 16, 2019, 11:16 a.m. by Kristen Bobst
The light from our neighbor influences more than you might suspect.
We're close to solving the mystery of those flashing lights on the moon
June 17, 2019, 3:42 p.m. by Christian Cotroneo
A German scientist's AI-powered lunar telescope aims to decipher the moon's twinkling lights.
There's a lump on the moon that's 5 times bigger than Hawaii's Big Island
June 12, 2019, 12:17 p.m. by Christian Cotroneo
Houston, we have ... an anomaly.
A guide to the full moons of 2019
April 18, 2019, 4:12 p.m. by Kristen Bobst
Why are the full moons named as they are? We have the answers.
Israeli moon lander prepares for historic touchdown
April 9, 2019, 2:39 p.m. by Michael d'Estries
The Beresheet spacecraft is expected to land on the moon's surface on April 11.
Earth's atmosphere stretches further than we thought possible — to the moon and beyond
February 20, 2019, 8:26 p.m. by Bryan Nelson
The moon actually orbits within Earth's outer atmosphere.
This beautiful photo of the moon is 50,000 images rolled into 1
February 20, 2019, 5:09 p.m. by Michael d'Estries
Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy spent hours creating this breathtaking photo of our moon.
Satellite snaps first-ever group shot of Earth and the moon's far side
February 8, 2019, 8:21 a.m. by Michael d'Estries
Historic photo was captured by an optical camera onboard China's Longjiang-2 satellite.
This rock brought back from the moon likely came from Earth
January 25, 2019, 6:28 p.m. by Bryan Nelson
Even though it's not technically a moon rock, it could still offer valuable new knowledge.
A meteorite smashed into the blood moon during the eclipse, and it was caught on film
January 23, 2019, 1:39 a.m. by Bryan Nelson
It's the first time astronomers have recorded such an event during a lunar eclipse.
Earth may have two dusty 'ghost moons'
October 31, 2018, 8:23 a.m. by Michael d'Estries
Researchers say there may be as many as two translucent dust clouds orbiting our planet.
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