• Check out the links in the discussion below for additional information to bring to the activity.
• Visit our Music Matters page for a moon song sing-a-long.
• Click HERE for pictures of the phases of the moon to print out to show during the discussion.

• The average distance of the moon from the earth is 238,857 miles (384,392 kilometers).
• The moon orbits the earth at an average speed of 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) an hour.
• It would take you 135 days at the speed of 70 mph to drive from the earth to the moon. That’s without rest stops!
• The moon is moving away from the earth at the rate of 1.5 inches each year.
• The moon is about 2,160 miles (3,476 kilometers) across, a little more than one quarter the diameter of the earth.
• The moon “shines” by reflecting light from the sun.
• If the earth were the size of an orange, the moon would be the size of a cherry.
• The moon is not actually round. It’s egg shaped, and its largest end is pointed toward the earth.
• A day on the moon is 27.3 “earth days” long.
• Twelve astronauts have walked on the moon.
• The currently accepted theory is that our moon was formed when a body of some kind hit our planet approximately where the Pacific Ocean is now. The impact was so violent that a piece of our planet was torn away and eventually became the moon.
• The moon is probably the most satisfying space object to look at. The craters and mountains can be seen with a small telescope, or even binoculars.
• An eclipse of the sun can occur only at a new moon, while an eclipse of the moon can occur only at full moon.
• The moon affects the tides. Tides are created because the earth and the moon are attracted to each other by gravity. The moon attempts to pull on everything on the earth. The earth is able to hold onto everything except for bodies of water. The moon’s pull as the earth rotates results in high tides and low tides twice a day.
• From the earth, we always see the same face of the moon. The back of the moon can only be observed from space. The first photos of the back of the moon were taken in 1959.
• For two weeks at a time, as the moon rotates, the parts of the lunar surface facing the sun bake up to 243 degrees Fahrenheit (117 degrees Celsius). Then, for an equal period of time, the same spot is in the dark and cools to about -272 degrees Fahrenheit (-169 degrees Celsius). Talk about extremes!
• If you want to lose weight, forget about dieting and just go to the moon. Because the surface gravity is only one-sixth that of the earth (and the force gravity exerts on you determines your weight) you would weigh significantly less on the moon. For instance, if you weighed 132 pounds (60 kilograms) on earth, you would only weigh 22 pounds (10 kilograms) on the moon.

• The moon was believed to have an affect on a woman’s fertility.
• There are many who attribute increased accidents, homicides, suicides, aggravated assaults and psychiatric emergency room visits to a full moon.
• The word “lunacy” is derived from lunar.
• If you were to see a crescent moon over your right shoulder, you would consider yourself lucky. If you were to see it over your left shoulder – beware!
• An old Italian belief is that if the moon changes on a Sunday, there will be a flood before the month is out.
• A new moon falling on a Saturday will bring 20 days of wind and rain. If there is a full moon on Friday the 13th, it is the unluckiest day of all.
• A new moon on a Monday is a sign of good weather and good luck.
• A ring around the moon forecasts rain or snow.
• Some farmers believe that crops sown during a full moon are ready for harvest a month earlier than those sown during a waxing moon.
• When you see a new moon, be sure to bow before her and turn over all the coins in your pocket. It will bring you good luck.
• If you are afflicted with corns, be sure to cut them during the waning moon; they’ll go away forever.
• An English saying predicted that a death of a member of the family at the time of the new moon meant that three deaths would follow.
• A person born during a full moon is destined to lead a charmed life.
• Cat’s eyes are reported to open wider during a full moon than at any other time.
• It is considered unlucky to be born or married during a waning moon.
• Richard Chapin is such a believer in the power of moonlight that he spent $2 million of his own money to build a 50-foot-tall moonlight collector in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. He claims it can cure some types of cancer, arthritis and depression.

1. New Moon – The side of the moon that is not illuminated by the sun is facing the earth and is therefore not visible (except during a solar eclipse). The new moon always rises at sunrise.
2. Waxing Crescent – The moon is less than one-half illuminated by the sun and the part of the moon that is illuminated is increasing.
3. First Quarter – The sun illuminates one-half of the side of the moon that is facing the earth and the illumination continues increasing. The first quarter moon always rises at noon.
4. Waxing Gibbous – The moon is more than one-half but not fully illuminated by the sun and is still increasing.
5. Full Moon – The moon’s fully illuminated side is facing the earth. The full moon always rises at sunset.
6. Waning Gibbous – The moon is more than one-half illuminated, but the part of the moon that is illuminated is now decreasing.
7. Last Quarter – One-half of the side of the moon that is facing the earth is illuminated, but the illumination continues decreasing. The last quarter moon always rises at midnight.
8. Waning Crescent – The moon is less than one-half illuminated and is still decreasing.

Additional Activities

• Moon images
• Moon names
• Lots and lots of moon information