This article is about Earth's natural satellite. For moons in general, see Natural satellite.

For other
uses, see Moon (disambiguation).

Moon

Full moon seen from the North Americacontinent of Earth in

2010

Designations

 Lunar
Adjectives
 selenic

Orbital characteristics

Epoch J2000

Perigee 362600 km

(356400–370400 km)

Apogee 405400 km

(404000–406700 km)

Semi-major axis 384399 km (0.00257 AU)[1]

Eccentricity 0.0549[1]

Orbital period 27.321661 d

(27 d 7 h 43 min 11.5 s[1])

Synodic period 29.530589 d

(29 d 12 h 44 min 2.9 s)

Average orbital speed 1.022 km/s

Inclination 5.145° to the ecliptic[2][a]

Longitude of Regressing by one revolution in

ascending node 18.61 years

Argument of perigee Progressing by one

revolution in 8.85 years

Satellite of Earth[b][3]

Physical characteristics

Mean radius 1737.4 km

(0.2727 of Earth's)[1][4][5]

Equatorialradius 1738.1 km

(0.2725 of Earth's)[4]

Polar radius 1736.0 km

(0.2731 of Earth's)[4]

Flattening 0.0012[4]

Circumference 10921 km (equatorial)

Surface area 3.793×107 km2

(0.074 of Earth's)

Volume 2.1958×1010 km3

(0.020 of Earth's)[4]

Mass 7.342×1022 kg

(0.012300 of Earth's)[1][4] [6]

Mean density 3.344 g/cm3[1][4]

0.606 × Earth

Surface gravity 1.62 m/s2 (0.1654 g)[4]

Moment of inertia factor 0.3929±0.0009[7]

Escape velocity 2.38 km/s

Sidereal rotation period 27.321661 d (synchronous)

Equatorial 4.627 m/s

rotation velocity

Axial tilt  1.5424° to ecliptic

  6.687° to orbit plane[2]

 24° to Earth's equator [8]

North pole right  17h 47m 26s

ascension
 266.86°[9]

North pole declination 65.64°[9]

Albedo 0.136[10]

Surface temp. min mean max

Equator 100 K 220 K 390 K
85°N 150 K 230 K[11]

Apparent magnitude  −2.5 to −12.9[c]

 −12.74 (mean full moon)[4]

Angular diameter 29.3 to 34.1 arcminutes[4][d]

Atmosphere[12]

Surface pressure  10−7 Pa (1 picobar) (day)

 10−10 Pa (1 femtobar)

(night)[e]


Composition by volume He

 Ar

 Ne

 Na

 K

 H

 Rn

The Moon is an astronomical body that orbits Earth as its only natural satellite. It is the fifth-
largest satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of
the planet that it orbits (its primary). The Moon is, after Jupiter's satellite Io, the second-
densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known.
The Moon is thought to have formed about 4.51 billion years ago, not long after Earth. The most
widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant
impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia. New research of Moon rocks, although
not rejecting the Theia hypothesis, suggests that the Moon may be older than previously thought.[13]
The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, and thus always shows the same side to Earth,
the near side. The near side is marked by dark volcanic maria that fill the spaces between the bright
ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. After the Sun, the Moon is the second-
brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth's sky. Its surface is actually dark, although
compared to the night sky it appears very bright, with a reflectance just slightly higher than that of
worn asphalt. Its gravitational influence produces the ocean tides, body tides, and the slight
lengthening of the day.
The Moon's average orbital distance is 384,402 km (238,856 mi),[14][15] or 1.28 light-seconds. This is
about thirty times the diameter of Earth. The Moon's apparent size in the sky is almost the same as
that of the Sun, since the star is about 400 times the lunar distance and diameter. Therefore, the
Moon covers the Sun nearly precisely during a total solar eclipse. This matching of apparent visual
size will not continue in the far future because the Moon's distance from Earth is gradually
increasing.
The Moon was first reached in September 1959 by the Soviet Union's Luna 2, an unmanned
spacecraft, followed by the first successful soft landing by Luna 9 in 1966. The United States'
NASA Apollo program achieved the only manned lunar missions to date, beginning with the first
manned orbital mission by Apollo 8 in 1968, and six manned landings between 1969 and 1972, with
the first being Apollo 11 in July 1969. These missions returned lunar rocks which have been used to
develop a geological understanding of the Moon's origin, internal structure, and the Moon's later
history. Since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission the Moon has been visited only by unmanned spacecraft.
Both the Moon's natural prominence in the earthly sky and its regular cycle of phases as seen from
Earth have provided cultural references and influences for human societies and cultures since time
immemorial. Such cultural influences can be found in language, lunar calendar systems, art,
and mythology.