What is the Moon made of?

The Moon floats high in the sky and shines a gentle silver light. Some old stories say it is made of cheese — but what is it really made of?

A giant ball of rock

The Moon is a huge ball of rock and dust. If you could stand on it, the ground would feel hard and powdery, a bit like grey sand. It is not soft or squishy at all, and there is definitely no cheese!

The Moon has no air to breathe and no water to drink. That is why nothing lives there — no plants, no animals, no people. It is a quiet, empty world.

Why is it covered in holes?

If you look closely at the Moon, you can see lots of round dents. These are called craters. They were made long ago when space rocks came zooming in and crashed into the Moon’s surface, scooping out big bowl shapes.

Because the Moon has no wind or rain to smooth them away, those craters stay exactly where they are — for millions and millions of years.

Why does it shine?

The Moon doesn’t make its own light. It acts like a giant mirror, bouncing the Sun’s light back to us. That soft glow is really sunshine in disguise!

Wonder fact: Footprints left by astronauts on the Moon are still there today — with no wind to blow them away, they could last for millions of years!