Moon for Kids
Earth's Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural moon. Its day lasts 29.5 Earth days. Its year lasts 365 days, the same as Earth: the Moon travels with us. That is from NASA's planetary fact sheet, checked 29 October 2026. A scale there reads 0.165 times as much as on Earth. Read about it at three levels: Little, Middle and Big, and make your own Space Card.
The Moon goes around the Earth. You can see it at night, and sometimes in the day. You would jump very high there!
The Moon is about a quarter as wide as Earth and about 384,400 kilometers away. It always shows us the same face. Twelve astronauts walked on it between 1969 and 1972.
The Moon circles Earth every 27.3 days, but the phases take 29.5 days because Earth moves round the Sun meanwhile. With no air, the Moon's surface swings between about 127 degrees Celsius in sunlight and minus 173 in the dark.
Footprints on the Moon can last millions of years, because there is no wind to blow them away.
Moon in numbers
| Across | 3,475 km |
|---|---|
| From Earth | 384,400 km |
| A day | 29.5 Earth days |
| A year | 365 days, the same as Earth: the Moon travels with us |
| Pull of gravity | 0.165 times Earth's |
| Average temperature | -20 °C |
| Moons | 0 |
Source: NASA planetary fact sheet, checked 29 October 2026.
How big is Moon?
Moon is 3,475 kilometers across, 27 out of every 100 parts of Earth's width. Moon is 384,400 kilometers from Earth, on average.
How hot or cold is Moon?
Moon averages -20 degrees Celsius, about as cold as a freezer.
Does Moon have moons?
The Moon has no moons of its own.
Can I see Moon tonight?
Not in the evening: tonight's waning gibbous Moon is up late at night and in the morning. Sky Tonight gives your own times from a ZIP.
How much would I weigh on Moon?
A child who weighs 80 pounds on Earth would read 13.2 pounds on Moon. That is a game number: it only shows how hard Moon pulls compared with Earth. Make your own Space Card to guess first and see all eleven worlds.