THE MOON IS THE EARTH'S only natural satellite, It is relatively large for a moon, with a diameter of about 3,470 kilometers - just over a quarter that of the Earth. The Moon takes the same time to rotate on its axis as it takes to orbit the Earth(27.3 days), and so the same side (the near side) always faces us. However, the amount of the surface we can see - the phase of the Moon is dry and barren, with negligible atmosphere and water. It consists mainly of solid rock, although its core may contain molten rock or iron.
The surface is dusty, with highlands covered in craters caused by meteorite impacts, and lowlands in which large craters caused have been filled by solidified lava to form dark areas called maria or "seas". Maria occur mainly on the near side, which has a thinner crust than the far side. Many of the craters are rimmed by mountain ranges that form the crater walls and can be thousands of meters high.
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