10 Facts About... The Moon | Factory+ | The Moonwalkers

Quick-fire

Born: An estimated 4.5 billion years ago

Origin story: Likely formed after a giant collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized object

Superpower: Controlling the tides

Tools: Gravitational pull

1. The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite

It orbits our planet at an average distance of about 384,400km or 238,855 miles. Despite the distance between us, the moon influences life on earth – with its gravity being the major driver of ocean tides.

2. Say cheese! The first photograph of the Moon was taken in 1840

American scientist John William Draper captured the world’s first detailed lunar photograph using a 20-minute exposure from a rooftop in New York. It was grainy, ghostlike and completely groundbreaking.

3. It inspired one of the first sci-fi films

Georges Méliès’ 1902 classic A Trip to the Moon features a rocket crashing into the Moon’s eye – an iconic image from early cinema that shaped the look of science fiction for decades to come.

The moon photographed by John W Draper — Image credit: John W Draper/Wikimedia Commons

A black and white photograph of a crater on the moon — Image credit: NASA

A still from the film Le Voyage Dans La Lune which shows a rocket crashing into the moon — Image credit: Wikimedia Commons/Georges Méliès

4. “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”

Humans first set foot on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 in an operation manned by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Since then, there have been six crewed landing on the moon, all taking place between 1969 and 1972.

5. The moon smells like... gunpowder?

Apollo astronauts have reported that moondust stuck to their suits and smelled like fireworks once they came back inside their space ship. Eau de la lune anyone?

6. A Victorian astronomer convinced people of a fake Moon invasion

Long before space travel was possible, in 1835, The New York Sun published The Great Moon Hoax, a series claiming astronomer John Herschel had discovered winged bat-people and unicorns living on the Moon. People believed it for weeks.

S69-39955 (16 July 1969) --- The crew of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission arrives atop Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, during the Apollo 11 prelaunch countdown. Leading is astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander. He was followed by astronauts Michael Collins, command module pilot. Technician follows directly behind Armstrong and Collins. — Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and a NASA technician at the Kennedy Space Center, during the Apollo 11 prelaunch countdown Image credit: NASA

(16 July 1969) --- The huge, 363-feet tall Apollo 11 (Spacecraft 107/Lunar Module 5/Saturn 506) space vehicle is launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center (KSC), at 9:32 a.m. (EDT), July 16, 1969. Aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot. Apollo 11 is the United States' first lunar landing mission. — Apollo 11 is launched from Kennedy Space Center on July 16 1969. Image credit: NASA

7. The moon has art on it

There are sculptures on the Moon. Apollo 15 astronauts left a small aluminium figure called Fallen Astronaut in 1971 as a memorial to astronauts and cosmonauts who died in pursuit of space exploration.

8. The moon once had active volcanoes

Long before humans existed, the Moon had volcanoes that flowed with lava, creating the marks visible on its surface that we can see today.

9. The word lunacy comes from the Moon

In ancient and medieval times, people believed the Moon caused madness, sleepwalking and strange behaviour – giving us the word lunatic from the Latin for moon luna.

Footprint on the moon — Image credit: NASA

10. (Almost) perfect symmetry

The Moon is around 400 times smaller in diameter than the Sun and also around 400 times further away from Earth. This cosmic coincidence means the Sun and Moon appear to be about the same size in the sky, which allows for total solar eclipses where the Moon completely blocks the Sun. Spooky.

Discover more about the moon landings with The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks, an immersive experience which runs from 16 December 2025 to 11 January 2026 at Aviva Studios. Find out more on the event page.