The Moon travels around the Earth in a circle called an orbit.
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click the picture to enlarge
Did you know?
The moon moves toward the east in our sky by about 12 degrees each day.
The moon rises in the east and sets in the west.
We always see the same side of the moon. The Moon always keeps the same side pointing towards us so we can never see the 'back' of the Moon from the Earth.
As the moon rotates around the earth, it also rotates around its own axis at the same rate. This is why we always see the same side of the moon.
A few days after new moon, when there is just a very slim crescent, you can sometimes see earthshine on the unilluminated portion of the Moon. Earthshine is caused by sunlight being reflected off the Earth and falling onto the Moon.
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The Moon has no atmosphere
Water was discovered on the moon in November 2009
There is no wind or weather on the moon.
Footprints left on the Moon by Apollo astronauts will remain visible for at least 10 million years because there is no erosion on the Moon.
The Moon is not a light source, it does not make its own light.
The moon reflects light from the sun.
We can see the Moon because light from the Sun bounces off it back to the Earth.
If the Sun wasn't there, we wouldn't be able to see the Moon.
The Sun always lights up (illuminates) one side of the Moon.
The Moon appears to change shape but what we are actually seeing is the Moon lit up by the light from the Sun in different ways on different days.
Phases of The Moon
Simulation 1
Simulation 2