Solar System
The Moon: facts for kids
The Moon is Earth’s closest neighbour in space.
Space wow
The Moon always shows us the same face.
India and Moon
Chandrayaan-3 landed near its south pole in 2023.
Colour Moon
- Vikram lands on the MoonOn 23 August 2023 Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander touched down gently near the Moon’s south pole.
- Pragyan rolls outPragyan means wisdom. This six-wheeled rover rolled down a ramp and explored the Moon’s soil.
- Vikram and Pragyan at Shiv Shakti pointThe lander and the rover worked together for about two weeks of Moon daylight.
- Chandrayaan-1 circles the MoonIndia’s first Moon mission, in 2008, orbited the Moon and helped find signs of water there.
- Chandrayaan-2 orbiterLaunched in 2019, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is still circling the Moon and taking sharp pictures.
- Full Moon nightOn a full Moon night, the whole side of the Moon facing us is lit up by the Sun.
- Crescent Moon and starsA crescent Moon is when we can see only a thin slice of the Moon lit by the Sun.
- The Moon’s changing shapeAs the Moon travels around Earth, we see different amounts of its sunny side. These are its phases.
- Craters up closeCraters are bowls made when space rocks crashed into the Moon long ago.
- Earthrise from the MoonFrom the Moon, our Earth looks like a big blue marble rising over the grey horizon.
- A lunar eclipseIn a lunar eclipse, Earth sits between the Sun and the Moon, and Earth’s shadow covers the Moon.
- An Indian on the MoonIndia hopes to send its own astronaut to the Moon by 2040. Who do you think will go?
- Ice at the Moon’s south poleSome craters near the Moon’s south pole are always in shadow. Scientists think ice may hide inside them.
- Sleepy MoonThe Moon is Earth’s closest neighbour in space.
- Off to the Moon!It takes about three days for a spacecraft to fly from Earth to the Moon.
- Name the Moon’s phasesThe Moon seems to grow (wax) for two weeks, then shrink (wane) for two weeks.