The Moon
From lighting up our skies to maintaining a geological record of our solar system’s history, Earth’s closest celestial neighbor plays a pivotal role in the studies of our planet and our solar system.
Overview
Earth's Moon is 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 causes tides, creating a rhythm that has guided humans for thousands of years.
The Moon was likely formed after a Mars-sized body collided with Earth several billion years ago.
Earth's only natural satellite is simply called "the Moon" because people didn't know other moons existed until Galileo Galilei discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610. In Latin, the Moon was called Luna, which is the main adjective for all things Moon-related: lunar.
Moon Phases 2024
This visualization shows the Moon's phase at hourly intervals throughout 2024, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.
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Explore the Moon
Top Questions about Earth's Moon
Why can I see the Moon during the day? And other frequently asked questions about our Moon.
Supermoons
When the full moon is a little bit closer to us than usual, it appears especially large and bright in the sky.
Weather on the Moon
What does “weather” mean on a world with practically no atmosphere? Explore extreme lunar surface conditions here.
Uncovering Lunar Water
There’s water on the Moon. Follow the thread of discoveries that led up to the confirmation of its presence in 2020.
The Moon's Origin Story
Several theories vie for dominance but most agree on one thing — Earth's Moon was born from destruction.
Earth and Tides
As distant as the Moon may seem, its gravitational pull on Earth plays a huge role in the formation of tides.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ImagE:
Far Side of the Moon
The Moon's far side gets as much sunlight as its near side.
Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates. The Sun always illuminates half of the Moon while the other half remains dark.
NASA’s LRO mission has used its seven science instruments to map the entire lunar surface, including the Moon's near and far sides, down to a scale of one meter.
