Zoom In on the Moon

Check out a map of Earth's moon

By Dani Leviss | Illustrated by Jim MacMahon

From the February 2025 Issue

Key Focus Area: Measurement and Data,

Other Focus Areas: Solar System & Universe

The Story
Resources

When you look up at Earth’s moon at night, here’s a map of what you’re seeing.

BRIGHT BALL: Our moon, like all moons and planets, doesn’t produce its own light. Only stars do that. As the sun shines on the moon, its light is reflected, or bounced, off the surface. Moonlight is actually reflected sunlight!

SEAS ON THE MOON? Early sky watchers called the dark areas of the moon “seas.” Scientists now know that they’re actually pools of lava that hardened into rock billions of years ago. But the name stuck! Iron in the rock causes it to reflect less light than other areas of the moon. That’s why the patches appear dark.

CRATER DEBATE: The moon has more than 9,000 craters on its surface. For a long time, scientists didn’t agree on how they formed. Studies of moon samples helped solve the mystery. The craters formed when space rocks and comets made of dust and ice collided with the moon’s surface.

FAMOUS NAMES: The largest craters are named after historical figures. This one is named after the Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe (TEE-koh brah). He lived from 1546 to 1601.