Moon Size report

The Moon (Latin: Luna) is a spherical celestial body that revolves around the Earth and is also the Earth's natural satellite. The Moon's surface is covered with impact craters formed by the impact of small celestial bodies. The average distance between the Moon and the Earth is about 384,400 kilometers.

The Moon likely formed about 4.5 billion years ago, not long after the Earth formed. Several hypotheses about its origin are supported by more factual evidence that it formed from debris from a huge impact.

Looking back on human society's history, we have never stopped imaging and exploring this planet. There are countless legends, and folktales related to the Moon spread all over the world. Earth's Moon is the brightest object in our night sky. It appears pretty large, but it is the closest celestial body. This post will explain more scientific facts about the Moon.

Moon Size And Descriptions

The Moon is the fifth largest satellite in the solar system. The Moon's surface is covered with impact craters formed by the impact of small celestial bodies. Huge impact craters filled with basalt lava flows from dark volcanoes are widely distributed on the front of the Moon, forming a vast plain called the "Moon Sea." There is not a drop of water in the "Moon Sea."

The environment on the lunar surface is very different from the natural environment on the Earth's surface. The Moon has no atmosphere and is in a state of high vacuum where not even sound can travel. There is also no water on the Moon; even in rock analysis of the Moon, there is no water. It means it is a lifeless planet. During the hottest day, the lunar surface temperature can reach 127℃; when the night is the coldest, the temperature can drop to 183℃. Since there is no cover of the atmosphere, humans can observe the Moon with a telescope on Earth and see the various forms of the lunar surface.

The Moon's rotation is equal to the period of its revolution (called tidal locking), so the Moon always faces the Earth with the same side. Earth's ocean tides are mainly due to the gravitational pull of the Moon.

Radius, Diameter, And Circumference

• Its average radius is about 1,079.6 miles (1,737.5 kilometers), equivalent to 0.273 times the Earth's radius.
• The Moon has a diameter of 2,159 miles (3,476 kilometers) and is about one-quarter the size of Earth.
• The Moon's equatorial circumference is 6,783.5 miles (10,917 km).
• The average distance between the Moon and the Earth is about 384,400 kilometers.

Mass, density and gravity

• Its mass is close to 7.342×1022 kilograms, weighing about 80 times less than Earth.
• The Moon's density is 3.34 grams per cubic centimeter (3.34 g/cm3). That is about 60 percent of Earth's density.
• The Moon's gravitational force is only about 16.6 percent of Earth's gravity. For example, a 45-kilogram person would weigh 100 lbs. on Earth but only 16.6 lbs. on the Moon.

Moon VS. Earth - Size Comparision

Humans have never stopped observing the changes of the Moon. A lunar eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon in which when the Moon moves into the shadow of the Earth, some or all of it cannot be illuminated by direct sunlight, making the full Moon invisible to observers on Earth. The Moon is a bit more than one-fourth (27 percent) the size of Earth, a much larger ratio (1:4) than any other planets and their moons. Earth's Moon is the fifth largest planet in the solar system. You will find more details in the below chart.

The Moon was the first extraterrestrial body that humans have ever landed on. The lunar probes launched by the United States and the former Soviet Union in 1958 both failed. In 1969, Apollo-11 of the United States achieved the first human-crewed landing on the Moon. Since the Moon is very conspicuous in the sky, coupled with the regular moon phase changes, it has significantly impacted human cultures such as myths and legends, religious beliefs, philosophical thoughts, calendar compilation, and customs since ancient times.