My name is Alex, and I’m a 14-year-old student who loves looking at the night sky. Every evening, I sit on my balcony and watch the Moon. It’s so bright and beautiful, sometimes full and round, sometimes just a thin crescent. The Moon is Earth’s closest neighbor in space, and it’s been part of our world for billions of years. In school, my science teacher told us about the Moon’s secrets—how it formed, what it’s like, and why it’s so important. Let me share its story with you in a simple way, like a journey to the sky.
The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite, which means it orbits, or circles, our planet. It’s about 384,400 kilometers away from Earth. That’s far, but close compared to stars or other planets. It takes the Moon about 27 days to go around Earth once, and it also takes 27 days to spin on its own axis. Because of this, we always see the same side of the Moon. The other side, called the “far side,” was a mystery until humans sent spacecraft to see it.
The Moon is much smaller than Earth, about one-fourth its size. Its diameter is around 3,474 kilometers, and it has less gravity than Earth. If you weigh 50 kilograms on Earth, you’d weigh only about 8 kilograms on the Moon. That’s why astronauts could jump so high when they walked on it! The Moon doesn’t have an atmosphere, so there’s no air to breathe, no wind, and no weather. It’s a quiet, rocky place with mountains, plains, and big holes called craters.
Scientists think the Moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago. They believe a huge object, the size of Mars, crashed into Earth long ago. This crash threw a lot of rock and dust into space, and over time, it came together to form the Moon. This idea is called the Giant Impact Hypothesis. The Moon’s surface has rocks that are similar to Earth’s, but it’s also different because it has no water or life. The craters on the Moon were made by asteroids and comets hitting it millions of years ago. Since there’s no air or water to change the surface, those craters stay the same forever.
The Moon doesn’t shine on its own. It looks bright because it reflects light from the Sun. That’s why it changes shape in the sky. These changes are called phases, and they repeat every month. When the Moon is between Earth and the Sun, we can’t see it—it’s a new moon. When Earth is between the Moon and the Sun, we see a full moon. In between, we see parts of it, like a crescent or a gibbous moon. These phases have inspired stories, songs for thousands of years.
The Moon affects Earth in many ways. One big effect is the tides. The Moon’s gravity pulls on Earth’s oceans, making them rise and fall twice a day. This creates high tides and low tides, which are important for people who fish or live near the sea. The Moon also helps keep Earth’s tilt stable, which affects our seasons. Without the Moon, Earth might wobble more, and our climate could be very different.
In human history, the Moon has been special. Long ago, people looked at it and made stories. In some cultures, the Moon was a god or goddess. In China, there’s a legend about a woman named Chang’e who lives on the Moon. In ancient Greece, the Moon was linked to the goddess Artemis. People used the Moon to make calendars because its phases helped them track time. Farmers planted crops based on the Moon’s cycle, and sailors used it to navigate at night.
The Moon also inspired scientists. In the 1600s, Galileo Galilei used a telescope to look at the Moon and saw its craters and mountains. His drawings showed it wasn’t a perfect sphere, like people thought, but a rocky world. Over time, scientists learned more by studying Moon rocks and using telescopes. But the biggest step came when humans decided to visit the Moon.
In the 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union were in a “space race” to explore space. The Soviet Union sent the first spacecraft, Luna 2, to hit the Moon in 1959. They also sent Luna 3, which took the first pictures of the far side. But the most famous moment came in 1969, when NASA’s Apollo 11 mission landed humans on the Moon. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon’s surface on July 20, 1969. Neil said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” They collected rocks, planted a flag, and left a plaque that says, “We came in peace for all mankind.”
The Apollo missions continued until 1972. Six missions landed on the Moon, and 12 astronauts walked on it. They brought back 382 kilograms of Moon rocks, which scientists still study today. These rocks helped us learn about the Moon’s history and how it formed. The Apollo program showed humans could travel to another world, and it inspired people everywhere.
Since Apollo, many countries have sent spacecraft to the Moon. Japan, China, India, and others have launched missions to study it. In 2009, NASA’s LCROSS mission found water ice in a crater near the Moon’s south pole. This was exciting because water could help future astronauts live on the Moon. China’s Chang’e missions, named after the Moon goddess, have landed rovers and brought back Moon samples. In 2024, NASA’s Artemis program started planning to send humans back to the Moon, including the first woman and person of color, to build a base for future missions to Mars.
The Moon is important for science because it’s like a time capsule. Its surface hasn’t changed much in billions of years, so it holds clues about the early Solar System. Scientists study its craters to learn about asteroids and comets. They also use the Moon to test new technology, like rovers and habitats, for exploring other planets.
The Moon inspires dreams, too. Many books, movies, and songs are about the Moon. In science fiction, people imagine living on Moon colonies or using it as a base to explore space. Even today, companies like SpaceX want to send tourists to the Moon. The Moon makes us think about what’s possible and how far we can go.
Sometimes, I look at the Moon and feel small. It’s been there for billions of years, watching Earth change. But I also feel excited. The Moon is a place we’ve touched, walked on, and learned from. It’s part of our story, and it shows us we can do amazing things if we try. My teacher says the Moon is a stepping stone to the stars, and I believe her. One day, maybe I’ll work on a mission to the Moon or even visit it myself.
Last night, I saw a full moon glowing in the sky. It looked so close, like I could reach out and touch it. I thought about the astronauts who walked there, the stories people told, and the secrets it still holds. The Moon is more than just a light in the sky—it’s a friend, a teacher, and a dream. Its story is part of our story, and it will shine for billions of years to come.