Luna

E27944

Luna is the natural satellite of Earth, renowned for its phases, influence on tides, and prominence in human culture and mythology.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Moon 1

Statements (68)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Earth’s Moon
astronomical object
celestial body
natural satellite
affects length of Earth’s day over geological time
age about 4.5 billion years
albedo about 0.12
averageOrbitalPeriod about 27.3 days
belongsTo Solar System
causes lunar eclipses
most of the variation in Earth’s tides
solar eclipses
diameter about 3474 km
distanceVariation perigee and apogee due to elliptical orbit
escapeVelocity about 2.38 km/s
farSideDominatedBy highlands
firstCrewedLandingMission Apollo 11
firstHumanLandingDate 1969-07-20
firstHumanOnSurface Neil A. Armstrong
surface form: Neil Armstrong
formedFrom debris after a giant impact with early Earth (giant impact hypothesis)
gravitationalInfluence causes libration as seen from Earth
has far side not visible from Earth
very thin exosphere
hasBeenVisitedBy crewed spacecraft
uncrewed spacecraft
hasCulturalSignificanceIn art
calendar systems
literature
mythology
religion
hasNo global magnetic field comparable to Earth’s
hasPhase first quarter
full moon
last quarter
new moon
waning crescent
waning gibbous
waxing crescent
waxing gibbous
hasResource water ice in permanently shadowed regions
influences ocean tides on Earth
mass about 7.35×10^22 kg
meanDistanceFromEarth about 384400 km
meanRadius about 1737 km
meanSurfaceTemperature about 220 K
name Luna self-link
Moon
nearSideDominatedBy maria
nodePrecessionPeriod about 18.6 years
orbits Earth
primaryBody Earth
relativeMassToEarth about 1/81 of Earth’s mass
relativeSizeToEarth about one quarter of Earth’s diameter
rotationPeriod about 27.3 days
rotationType synchronous rotation
secondHumanOnSurface Buzz Aldrin
stabilizes Earth’s axial tilt
surfaceComposition silicate rocks
surfaceFeature highlands
impact craters
maria
rilles
surfaceGravity about 1.62 m/s²
synodicPeriod about 29.5 days
temperatureRange about −173°C to +127°C
tidalLock tidally locked to Earth
usedIn lunar calendars
visibleFrom Earth with naked eye

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Antonio Luna familyName Luna
Moon isAlsoCalled Luna
Luna name Luna self-link
Luna 2 target Luna
this entity surface form: Moon