Known since prehistoric times, it is the brightest object in the sky after the sun Its name in english, like that of earth, is of germanic and old english derivation. The moon is the only other planetary body that humans have visited On july 20, 1969, nasa astronauts neil armstrong and buzz aldrin were the first people to set foot on the dusty surface of the moon. Discover interesting facts about how the moon formed, what it's made out of, and the many missions humans have launched to explore it. Explore the current phase of the moon, its rise and set times, nightly motion across the sky, and discover lunar features with our interactive map
Stay informed about the celestial movements above. The earth and moon are tidally locked Their rotations are so in sync we only see one side of the moon Humans didn't see the lunar far side until a soviet spacecraft flew past in 1959 The moon has a solid, rocky surface cratered and pitted from impacts by asteroids, meteorites, and comets. With our 2025 moon phase calendar, you'll find the current moon phase for tonight—plus, all the phases of the moon for each day of the month.
Because the moon is tidally locked to earth, the cycle of phases takes one lunar month and moves across the same side of the moon, which always faces earth.
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