Earth's companion. Airless, silent, and battered by 300-degree temperature swings.
Because the Moon has no atmosphere, daylight lasts for two Earth weeks of scorching heat (120°C). Then follows two weeks of sub-zero darkness (-130°C). Inside permanently shadowed polar craters, temperatures dip to -246°C.
Landing is proven and manageable: Apollo astronauts famously spent days walking on the lunar surface. Without a spacesuit, however, the vacuum causes unconsciousness in 10 seconds. Microscopic regolith dust is razor-sharp like ground glass, and the 250°C swing between sunlight and shadow requires heavy thermal cooling systems.
Verified science answered in plain, accessible language.
Without an atmosphere or ocean to store heat or circulate air, lunar rocks bake at 120°C in sunlight and radiate heat directly into the cosmic vacuum at night, dropping to -130°C.
Yes. Because there is no wind, water, or weather on the Moon, footprints and rover tracks will endure for millions of years, slowly eroded only by micrometeorite bombardment.
Permanently shadowed craters near the lunar poles reach -246°C (-410°F), making them among the coldest natural places measured in the entire Solar System.
The estimated average temperature on Moon is -23°C / -9.4°F.
A full day-night cycle on Moon lasts about 708.7 Earth hours.
Moon is 384,400 km from Earth.
Moon's atmospheric pressure is < 10^-15 bar (Nearly pure lunar vacuum).
Virtually none — an ultra-tenuous exosphere containing argon, helium, and neon.
Zero wind. Footprints left by Apollo astronauts will remain unchanged for millions of years.
Electrostatic levitation of razor-sharp lunar dust at the day-night terminator line.
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