Menu Close

IOPConnect

Log in to personalise your experience and connect with IOP.


The Moon Adventure

What's it like to be an astronaut? Where did the Moon come from? What's the future of humans in space? Read on to find out more!


Composition and origins of the Moon

Since the dawn of civilisation, we have always wondered where the Moon came from. But until we finally managed to visit it in 1969, its origins remained a complete mystery to science.

Read more

Surface features of the Moon

Looking up at the night sky when the Moon is full, it’s hard to draw your eyes away from the bright globe staring down at you. But it’s not only the brightness that’s attention-grabbing, it’s that there is so much to look at, even without a telescope. 

Read more

Phases and orbits of the Moon

The biggest clue to why the Moon always looks different when you look up at the sky is that it is constantly moving in relation to Earth and the Sun. It pops up in different places and at different times because it orbits the Earth. 

Read more

Extraordinary behaviour of the Moon

The sudden darkening of the Sun in the daytime. A blood red Moon rising at night. These are rare occasions that inspire awe in all those that get to experience them. 

Read more

How does the Moon affect the Earth?

What if the Moon suddenly disappeared? Would our planet be plunged into chaos, or would we not care? The answer is perhaps more subtle than you would expect.

Read more

How did we get to the Moon?

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s walks on the Moon inspired awe in the millions who huddled round to watch on their televisions screens in 1969, and billions since. But the most awe-inspiring part of Apollo 11 was not televised in its entirety – how the astronauts got to the Moon and back. 

Read more

How do we know that we went there?

Every single argument claiming that NASA faked the Moon landings has been discredited. But even today 50 years later, people discuss conspiracy claims online, on television programmes and around the dinner table. 

Read more

What’s it like to be an astronaut?

NASA had to find ingenious ways to keep astronauts alive in the hostile lunar environment – which would kill anyone without the proper kit in an instant. But more than that, scientists developed technologies that made the astronauts mobile.

Read more

How could we live on the Moon?

There are many reasons to build a permanent base on the Moon. But where would we live and how could we survive the Moon’s hostile environment? 

Read more

What next for humans on the Moon?

We may not have put boots on the Moon since 1972, but interest in returning is growing. This time around, the promise of learning more about the lunar surface is not the only motivation. 

Read more

My Moon Adventure

Download My Moon Adventure to print and do at home or at school! Full of fun things to do and fascinating facts.

Read more

 

Big ideas in physics

Find out the stories behind the most significant discoveries that have shaped our understanding of the universe.