The Moon | Astronomy.com

A golden Full Moon in a dark blue sky seen through the branches of a foreground tree.

Observing, The Moon

2026 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases

Side-by-side grayscale comparison of the Moon's two hemispheres. The left image shows the familiar near side of the Moon, featuring large dark volcanic plains called maria that give it a distinctive mottled appearance. The right image shows the far side of the Moon, which lacks significant maria and instead appears more uniformly cratered and bright, with prominent crater ray systems radiating outward from impact sites.

Science, Solar System

Why does one side of the Moon have a lot of craters, while the other does not?

An artist's illustration of two astronauts in white spacesuits working on the gray lunar surface beside a large cylindrical mobile habitat on wheels, with a smaller open surface vehicle to the right and equipment cases scattered between them, set against a black sky.

Human Spaceflight

How NASA plans to build a Moon Base

A high-contrast, black-and-white image shows the dark, sharp shadow of a mechanical structure cast against a pale, textured ground surface. The shadow features a prominent, angled central mast topped with a flat, rectangular shape resembling a small awning or panel. The background is a stark, light gray expanse marked with a grid pattern of small, faint dark dots.

Space Exploration, Today in the History of Astronomy

June 2, 1966: Surveyor 1 lands on the Moon

No matter how many Full Moons appear in any given timespan, its color will not actually change to blue. Credit: John Chumack.

Observing, The Moon

What is a Blue Moon? When’s the next one?

A size comparison illustration showing Earth and the Moon side by side against a black background. Earth appears on the left, showing the Americas, swirling cloud cover, and blue oceans, while the gray, crater-marked Moon is shown to the right at roughly one-quarter of Earth's diameter, accurately reflecting their relative sizes.

How is the Moon 1% of Earth’s mass, but its gravity is 17% of Earth’s?

The Moon, This Week in Astronomy

See the Moon meet Antares Sunday night

Astrophotography

A palace on the Moon

Human Spaceflight

Decades after Apollo 8, Jim Lovell’s voice returns to the Moon

Human Spaceflight

Artemis 2’s lunar flyby in images

Human Spaceflight

Artemis 2 crew shares emotional moment as they name crater after commander’s late wife

Human Spaceflight

NASA Artemis 2 astronauts leave Earth for the Moon