Full moon
Kids Learning,  Learning Equipment,  Space Learning

Fun Facts And Ways That Help Kids Learn About The Moon

We’ve gathered some fun facts and ways that help kids learn about the moon, so let’s dive in.

The Moon is our closet celestial neighbour. It offers fascinating visual scenery for those of us interested in observing and learning about space. Parts of its surface have remained undisturbed for millions of years. This has allowed astronomers to learn so much about our solar system.

Why Does The Moon Have Giant Craters And Mountains?

The moon’s surface is covered in spectacular giant craters and mountains. Countless amounts of asteroids, comets and meteorites have rained down on the moon since its creation over 4 billion years ago.

The impact of some of these collisions, were so powerful that they left behind giant craters which can be seen from earth with the naked eye.

Moon's craters

We are lucky here on earth, because our planet is surrounded by an atmosphere. It not only protects us from dangerous solar radiation but it also defends us from small comets and meteorites. Earth’s atmosphere destroys small comets and meteorites upon entry due to friction from the air.

Unlike earth, the moon doesn’t have an atmosphere, so every space rock on a collision course with the moon, ends up hitting its surface.

Collisions occur at incredible speed, the impacts can be so ferocious that they send shockwaves outwards, this causes massive amounts of debris to build-up mountain like perimeters, often measuring miles in height.

Craters, sometimes miles in depth, then form inside these perimeters. These are the circular shapes we can see from earth.

Do Asteroids, Comets and Meteorites Still Smash Into The Moon?

Yes, on occasion small space debris like comets and meteorites roam around the inner solar system. Sometimes this debris finds itself on a collision course with the moon.

Luckily, the number of these space rocks roaming around the inner solar system is relatively low compared to millions, even billions of years ago. The majority of space rocks in our solar system reside in the Main Asteroid Belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Studies have shown that once the four gas giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune & Uranus) in our solar system settled into the orbits we know today, there has been a drastic reduction in the number of collisions in the inner solar system involving asteroids. This is due to the gravitational influence of these gas giants.

Kids Can Learn Using Telescopes

A very effective method of helping your kids learn about space is by observing stars and planets using telescopes. Because the moon is so close to earth, this method can spark excitement into young observers. Even the most basic budget friendly telescopes can provide incredible visuals of the moon’s surface.

This could be the beginning of a new hobby for your child, one that educates and sparks further interest in learning about space.

Learn about the moon

Observer’s can educate themselves in depth about the lunar phases. This would give them an understanding of how the moon works. The moon orbits earth just like earth orbits the sun. Over the course of a lunar month, the moon goes through 8 different phases, some of these include:

Crescent moon – during this phase the moon displays similar to the shape of a banana.

First quarter moon – at this phase the moon looks like a half circle.

Gibbous moon – the moon almost looks like a complete circle during this phase.

Full moon – as the name suggests this is when the moon looks completely round.

So, When Should You Observe The Moon?

The best phases for observing the moon include Crescent moon and Gibbous moon. During these phases, observers get to experience the many features the moon has to offer, its position in relation to the sun forms shadows highlighting the massive craters and mountains, displaying incredible detail for the observer to enjoy.

Surprisingly, one phase to avoid observing the moon, is during a Full moon. During this phase, the rays from the sun reflecting off the moon are so bright that they can actually spoil the experience of observing the incredible detail that the moon has to offer.