Study Facts About the Moon

In this activity, we’re going to be learning all about the moon.

What do you think of when you hear the word satellite?

You might think of a mini metal spaceship orbiting around the Earth.

The moon is actually a satellite.

A satellite is anything which orbits around the Earth or another planet.

The moon orbits (goes around) the Earth.

The Moon's Orbits

The moon has an outer layer of hard rock which is covered in moon soil, which is called regolith.

It takes the moon 27.3 days to orbit the Earth. Most people round this up to 28 days, which is a lunar month.

The moon doesn’t orbit the Earth in a perfect circle. It goes around in an oval shape called an ellipse.

Just like the Earth, the moon also rotates on its own axis in an anticlockwise direction. It takes the moon 28 days to do this.

This means that it takes the moon the same amount of time to spin on its own axis as it does to go around the Earth.

Phases of the Moon

The moon appears to be a different shape in the sky from one day to the next. These different shapes are called the phases of the moon.

The moon itself stays the same shape but the Sun lights up different parts of it depending on where it is on its journey around the Earth. We only see the moon because it reflects sunlight.

In this activity, you’ll be answering questions about the moon and its orbits. 

You can look back at this introduction at any point by clicking on the red help button on the screen.