☾ Moon: Natural Satellite

The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth,[d][7] and the fifth largest
satellite in the Solar System. It is the largest natural satellite of a planet in the
Solar System relative to the size of its primary,[e] having 27% the diameter and 60%
the density of Earth, resulting in 1⁄81 its mass. The Moon is the second densest
satellite after Io, a satellite of Jupiter.

The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the

same face with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill between the
bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. It is the
brightest object in the sky after the Sun, although its surface is actually very
dark, with a reflectance similar to that of coal.

Surface geology
The topography of the Moon has been measured with laser altimetry and stereo
image analysis. The most visible topographic feature is the giant far side South Pole –
Aitken basin, some 2,240 km in diameter, the largest crater on the Moon and the
largest known crater in the Solar System. At 13 km deep, its floor is the
lowest elevation on the Moon. The highest elevations are found just to its
north-east, and it has been suggested that this area might have been thickened by the
oblique formation impact of South Pole – Aitken.The lunar far side is on average
about 1.9 km higher than the near side.[1]

PRESENCE OF WATER

Liquid water cannot persist on the lunar surface. When exposed

to solar radiation, water quickly decomposes through a process
known as photodissociation and is lost to space. However since the
1960s, scientists have hypothesized that water ice may be
deposited by impacting comets or possibly produced by the reaction
of oxygen-rich lunar rocks, and hydrogen from solar wind, leaving
traces of water which could possibly survive in cold, permanently
shadowed craters at either pole on the Moon.[63][64] Computer
simulations suggest that up to 14,000 km2 of the surface may be in
permanent shadow.[65] The presence of usable quantities of water
on the Moon is an important factor in rendering lunar habitation as a
cost-effective plan; the alternative of transporting water from Earth
would be prohibitively expensive.[66]