Glowing like a silent guardian in the night sky, the moon is the fifth-largest satellite in the solar system and orbits Earth at an average distance of approximately 384,399 kilometres. With a diameter of about 3,474 kilometres—roughly one-quarter that of Earth—it exerts only one-sixth of our planet"s gravity. This is why astronauts famously bounce when they walk on its surface. The moon"s surface is mostly covered with rock and fine lunar dust, created by billions of years of impacts from meteoroids and micrometeorites. This powdery material, called regolith, gives the moon its grey, dusty appearance.
Photo of the moons surface through a telescope
Today in History
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Maple and bamboo forests in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
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Wooden path to Kennedy Lake, Vancouver Island, Canada
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Dunquin Pier, County Kerry, Ireland
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Coral reef in the Indian Ocean, Mayotte, France
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Misool, Raja Ampat Islands
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The Monastery of Roussanou
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Eastbourne Pier, England
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Royal Alcázar of Seville, Spain
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Jackson Square, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
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Short-beaked echidna, Adelaide Hills, Australia
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Tulips, Netherlands
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Cypress trees in George L. Smith State Park, Georgia, United States
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A pine forest in Alsace, France
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Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
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St. Michaels Church Tower on Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset, England
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Tigers in Uttarakhand, India
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Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
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Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
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European hedgehog
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Porthcawl lighthouse, Wales
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Gujō Hachiman Castle
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

