More Moon Facts & Why the Moon Matters

by Fiona

The Moon has fascinated humanity for thousands of years—guiding calendars, inspiring myths, and shaping scientific discovery. Today, it’s once again at the center of exploration as NASA prepares to send humans back through the Artemis program, with the goal of establishing a long-term presence and eventually using the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars.

🚀 A Journey Back to the Moon

More than 50 years after the final missions of Apollo program, the Artemis missions aim to return astronauts to the lunar surface—this time with more ambitious goals. These include landing the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, building sustainable infrastructure, and unlocking new scientific insights about our closest celestial neighbor.

But to understand why the Moon matters so much, it helps to look back—way back—to its origins.

🌍 Did you know that our Moon was once part of Earth?

Around the time of the solar system’s formation, another planet or a group of asteroids crashed into the young Earth. This colossal impact sent pieces of our planet whirling into space, eventually coming together to form the Moon.

This theory—known as the giant impact hypothesis—has been strongly supported by the analysis of lunar samples brought back to Earth by the Apollo missions and others. These samples show striking similarities between the composition of Earth’s crust and the Moon, suggesting a shared origin.

🌕 The Moon’s Geology: A Frozen Record of Time

Unlike Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere, weather, or active plate tectonics. This means its surface has remained largely unchanged for billions of years—making it a time capsule of early planetary history.

Key geological features include:

  • Maria (lava plains): Dark, flat regions formed by ancient volcanic eruptions
  • Highlands: Bright, heavily cratered areas that are among the oldest parts of the Moon
  • Impact craters: Caused by asteroids and comets striking the surface over billions of years
  • Regolith: A layer of fine dust and broken rock covering the entire surface

Moon rocks collected during the Apollo missions revealed that lunar volcanic activity peaked around 3–4 billion years ago. Today, the Moon is considered geologically inactive.

🚀 Exploring the Moon: Missions & Milestones

The Moon is the most visited object in space beyond Earth. Here are some key exploration facts:

  • Human missions: 6 successful crewed landings (Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17)
  • Astronauts on the Moon: 12 humans have walked on its surface
  • Robotic missions: Over 100 uncrewed missions have been sent by countries including the United States, Soviet Union, China, India, and Japan

Recent milestones:

  • China’s Chang’e 4 made the first landing on the far side of the Moon - 3 January 2019
  • India’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed near the Moon’s south pole - 23 August 2023

Future Artemis missions aim to establish a more permanent human presence, particularly near the lunar south pole, where water ice has been detected.

The Moons in Our Solar System

Our Moon is just one of many. In fact, most planets in the Solar System have moons—some have dozens!

However, there are two notable exceptions…

🌙 Which 2 planets in our solar system DO NOT have any moons?

A. Mars & Venus
B. Mars & Jupiter
C. Mercury & Neptune
D. Mercury & Venus

Take your best guess, and let us know what you think!
The first 10 correct answers emailed to support@underluckystars.com will get a FREE Digital Star Map

Want more space trivia? Check out our blog https://www.underluckystars.com/blog