The moon, also called the 'goddess of the night' is our silent neighbour, devoid of life. It circles the earth at a distance of 384,000 km (238,618 miles) in a total time of 27 days and 12 hours. In the same time the moon turns once on its axis. This last fact is important; it means that we only ever see one side of the moon.

The moon used to turn more quickly on its axis, but because of the effect of the terrestrial force of attraction, this speed has dropped to achieve a balance between its own movement and its movement around the Earth.

On the moon there is one day and one night. A lunar day or night lasts about 14 days.
There is a great difference in temperature between lunar night and day. It is about 1200C on the dayside while it freezes on the night side!That is why the American astronauts who were first to walk on the moon wore special suits to protect them against the heat. Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Millions of TV viewer's saw this amazing event, the pictures being sent by satellite.