That’s no moon! Wait, yes, yes it is.
Humankind has always been fascinated by the moon; the ancient Egyptians used lunar phases to track agricultural seasons, while the ancient Greeks went a step further, using its cycles to develop a calendar of the year. Today, some religions follow a lunar calendar to determine holy dates, such as Islam marking the start and end of Ramadan by the sighting of the crescent moon.
It’s no surprise that throughout the ages the moon has been a great source of inspiration and intrigue — for artists painting it, poets and singers writing about it, and the scientists studying it.
While the moon can be mysterious in many ways, we’re not completely in the dark. For instance, we know it likely formed after a giant impact between early Earth and a Mars-sized object, and that it may have an ocean of magma sitting beneath its dusty surface. Missions to the moon, by both humans and robots, have only just begun to unveil our natural satellite’s secrets. Now, are you ready to test your lunar knowledge? Let’s see how well you know our celestial companion!
More space quizzes
—Black hole quiz: How supermassive is your knowledge of the universe?
—Moon landing quiz: How quickly can you name all 12 Apollo astronauts that walked on the moon?
—Solar system quiz: How well do you know our cosmic neighborhood?
