The Moon in numbers – Infographic

Infographic about our planet’s natural satellite, the Moon. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

This infographic features an image of the Moon along with a series of facts that highlight some of the differences between the Moon and Earth.

• A graphic shows that the Moon takes 27.3 days to complete one orbit around the Earth.
• The mean distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,400 kilometres. Using current technology, it would take about three days for a team of astronauts to travel to the Moon.
• The Moon is one quarter the diameter of the Earth.
• The Moon is 1/81 the mass of the Earth.
• A graphic shows the lunar phases: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent.
• Synchronous rotation: One rotation of the Moon on its axis takes exactly as long as one full orbit of the Moon around the Earth. That is why the same side of the Moon is always facing the Earth.
• Minus 23 degrees Celsius is the average temperature of the Moon. When sunlight hits the surface of the Moon, temperature goes up to 123 degrees Celsius, and when the sun goes down, it can drop to minus 233 degrees Celsius.
• The Moon has 1/6 the gravity of Earth. This means you weigh six times less on the Moon than you do on Earth!