Radmila Topalovic
The Moon, our natural satellite. It is difficult to imagine living on a world without a moon, its effects on Earth and life are wide-ranging and profound. Formed shortly after the Earth, the Moon started its life in a more intimate orbit, it was also spinning faster on its axis thus revealing all of its faces to Earth. Over 4 and a half billion years the Moon has gradually drifted away from us, increasing its distance by almost 4 cm each year. Travelling to the Moon is a 4-day journey, equivalent to circumnavigating the Earth 10 times. In contrast, its light, reflected from the Sun, reaches us in only one and a half seconds.
Our relationship with the Moon has changed as we have progressed as a society. Our ancestors used the cyclical pattern of lunar phases as a primitive calendar, with the interval between successive new moons marking a period of 29 and a half days. We may not depend on the Moon for timekeeping in modern society, however, it continues to mark significant religious events. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the Full Moon that happens after the vernal (spring) equinox. For Muslims, the first day of Ramadan is set by the first sighting of the new crescent moon. A solar or lunar eclipse has special significance, these phenomena are seen by many as a divine message, an omen from the gods. In the UK, we last experienced a lunar eclipse on 14 March, the next one will take place on 7 September when the Moon will reach maximum obscurity in the shadow of the Earth at 18:12 UTC. From the UK, observers may catch the tail end of the eclipse as the blood red Moon rises later in the evening. A low hanging Full Moon also triggers an effect called the moon illusion, where we perceive the Moon to be bigger in the sky when it lies in the same line of sight as the surrounding landscape. A partial solar eclipse was observed by many on 29 March this year, with the next event occurring on 21 September, visible from parts of Australia and the South Pacific.
The lunar eclipse on 14 March 2025, images taken from Indiana. Epic3774, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
We experience the effects of the Moon at our coastlines, its gravitational pull creates two high tides and two low tides each day, redistributing water around the Earth. The Moon plays a critical role in the lives of some marine animals, their biological clocks are set by the phases of the Moon. Light-sensitive proteins react to moonlight to initiate spawning, mating, feeding and other actions necessary for these organisms to survive.
The Moon’s gravitational pull gives us tides.
Humans first landed on the Moon in July 1969 and we haven’t been back since December 1972 — a total of only 12 people have ever walked on the lunar surface. NASA’s Artemis mission to send people back to the Moon is currently underway. The first stage of the mission, the launch of the uncrewed Orion spacecraft took place on 16 November 2022, after a six-year delay. Stage two is due in April 2026, when a crew of four men and women will fly past the Moon and return to Earth. The third stage, when a crew will land on the Moon, is scheduled for 2027, the goal is to create human habitation stations which will eventually be a springboard for excursions to Mars. NASA are also collaborating with partners on a Lunar Coordinated Time standard to accommodate the slightly faster time on the Moon. A world so close yet so wildly different to our home.
Find out more
Discover more about the Moon with Moongazing, an in-depth guide for aspiring astronomers and Moon observers. With detailed Moon maps and covers the history of lunar observation and exploration, the properties of the Moon, its origin and orbit, this is the ideal book for Moon observers covering essential equipment, and the key events to look out for. Out now.