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Does the moon rotate? Does the moon spin on its axis?
Yes! The time it takes for the Moon to rotate once on its axis is equal to the time it takes for the Moon to orbit once around Earth. Thanks to this synchronous rotation, the same side of the Moon always faces our planet.
Are Moon phases the same everywhere on Earth?
Yes, everyone sees the same phases of the Moon. People north and south of the equator do see the Moon’s current phase from different angles, though.
What is the Moon really shaped like?
The Moon is shaped like an imperfect sphere. From a distance, it looks nearly round. Seen up close, the Moon’s surface is a three-dimensional landscape of mountains, valleys, and craters.
Can I see the Moon during the day?
Yes! The Moon is up just as much during the day as it is at night, but you might not notice it as easily. Because the Sun is also up, and because the Moon phases that are most often visible in daylight show us only a little bit of the Moon’s bright side (like the crescent Moon phases), the Moon is harder to see during the day.
What is moonlight? How is the Moon lit?
The Moon does not make its own light. All moonlight is reflected sunlight. The bright part of the Moon is experiencing daytime.
Are Moon phases caused by shadows from Earth?
No. The only time Earth’s shadow affects our view of the Moon is during a lunar eclipse. Generally, one half of the Moon ― the side facing the Sun ― is brightly illuminated, and one is in shadow.
Does the Moon orbit Earth? How many days does it take to complete its orbit?
Yes. The Moon takes about one month to orbit Earth (27.3 days to complete a revolution, but 29.5 days to change from new moon to new moon). As the Moon completes each 27.3-day orbit around Earth, both Earth and the Moon are moving around the Sun.
Why do we see Moon phases?
The Moon is always half-lit by the sun (except during a lunar eclipse). The side of the Moon facing the Sun appears bright because of reflected sunlight, and the side of the Moon facing away from the Sun is dark. Our perspective on the half-lit Moon changes as the Moon orbits Earth.
What would happen if there was no Moon? How does the Moon affect Earth?
Earth would be a very different world if it had no Moon. The Moon's gravity keeps our planet from wobbling on its axis too much, which helps to stabilize our climate. The Moon also plays an important role in creating Earth's ocean tides.
Does the Moon have gravity? Do things float “up” when dropped on the Moon?
The Moon does have gravity. Because the Moon has less mass than Earth, its gravitational pull is weaker (about one-sixth of Earth’s). On the Moon, you’d be able to jump about six times as high as you can on Earth ― but you would still come back down!
Is there a "dark side of the Moon"?
There is no permanent dark side of the Moon. The far side of the Moon gets as much sunlight as the near side. Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates.
Why does the Moon rise and set? Can people in different countries see the Moon on the same day?
Moonrises and moonsets occur for the same reason as sunrises and sunsets: Earth rotates once a day. This means that observers in many different parts of the world have their turn looking at the Moon throughout each day, just like we all see the same Sun over the course of 24 hours.