The moon is Earth's natural satellite, orbiting around our planet. The moon goes through phases as seen from Earth, ranging from New Moon (when it's completely dark) to Full Moon (when it appears fully illuminated). These phases occur because of its position relative to the Earth and the Sun.
It takes 27.3 days for the Moon to travel all the way around the Earth and complete its orbit. Although the Moon shines bright in the night sky, it doesn’t produce its own light. We see the Moon because it reflects light from the Sun.
The moon's surface is covered with craters, mountains, and plains called maria (Latin for "seas"). These features were formed by impacts from asteroids and comets over billions of years.
Despite being much smaller than Earth, the moon has about one-sixth the gravity of our planet. This weaker gravity allows astronauts to bounce around and leap higher than they could on Earth.
Unlike earthquakes, which are caused by tectonic activity, the moon experiences "moonquakes" that are usually less intense and can last for several minutes. They are believed to be caused by the gravitational pull of the Earth and the Sun on the moon's surface.
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