The story for kids
This is the Moon. The Moon goes around Earth, like a little puppy running around its owner. There's no air or water on the Moon, but there are lots of little holes. People flew to the Moon in a rocket and walked on it. Their footprints are still there, because there's no wind on the Moon to blow them away. Sometimes the Moon is round, and sometimes it's thin, like a banana. That depends on which side of it the Sun is lighting up.
Facts
- The only other world where people have walked – 12 astronauts, 1969–1972.
- It always shows us the same side.
- It is really about 384,000 km away – 30 Earths would fit in between.
For grown-ups
This is the Moon, Earth's natural satellite. The Moon is the only other world where people have walked: twelve astronauts went there between nineteen sixty-nine and nineteen seventy-two. The Moon always shows us the same side. It does not shine by itself; what we see is sunlight reflected off its surface. That is why we sometimes see a full Moon, and sometimes only a thin crescent. In reality, the Moon is about three hundred and eighty-four thousand kilometres away from us. Thirty Earths could fit in the space between the Moon and Earth.