The Moon

Part of Hall of the Universe.

The moon AMNH/D. Finnin

The Moon is a dead world. It has no atmosphere or water, so it cannot support life. The mountain building and erosive forces that have shaped the Earth do not exist on the Moon. Instead the Moon’s surface has been shaped largely by impacts. From Earth we can see only one side of the Moon. Here, you can also investigate its hidden side.

The topography of this model was portrayed by Don Davis, refined from Clementine mission data with reference to Lunar Orbiter and other photography.

The moon model
AMNH/D. Finnin
Your weight on the moon scale
AMNH/D. Finnin
Basalt from the moon
The Earth-Moon system
AMNH/D. Finnin
The earth-moon system
The earth-moon system - Tides
Origins of the moon
AMNH/D. Finnin
moon origins
geology (of the moon) [THIS IS THE HIGHEST RES WE HAVE]

In This Section

Exhibit The Moon Model The topography of this model is from Smith et al., 1997, and is based on data acquired during the Clementine mission. Exhibit Your Weight on the Moon Interactive exhibits include floor scales at various locations that display a visitor’s weight on Mars, Jupiter, the Sun, and other... Exhibit Basalt from the Moon Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin collected this sample of basalt from the Moon on August 1, 1971. Exhibit Moon Rock The Museum has four Moon rocks, the most on display in the United States except for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History....