The Moon and its Surface

Laura Battles1st Grade Moon Unit

The surface of the moon is not flat and smooth.

The moon’s surface is bumpy and rough. It has craters, which are like big holes or dents that were made by huge rocks in space called meteorites. These rocks bombarded the moon’s surface billions of years ago, leaving lots of craters behind.

The Moon’s surface has dark areas.

The dark areas are called “mare” (pronounced “mah-ray”), which means “sea” in Latin. Long ago, people thought that the dark areas were oceans. Now we know that the moon has no water, but rather areas with dark colored rocks.

The Moon’s surface has light areas.

The light areas are called “highlands”, because they are higher up than the low, dark areas. The light-colored, bright areas have a lot of craters.

Where you are in the world changes your view of the moon.

For as long as humans have lived on Earth, people have imagined they can see different images and shapes on the side of the moon that faces us, which is called the nearside of the moon. Let’s learn what people from different countries think they see.

Asia: Rabbit Making Rice Cakes or Soup

Europe: Man in the Moon Carrying Sticks

India: Handprints

United States: Man in the Moon

Hawaii: Tree in the Moon

What do you see in the moon?