Flower Moon

The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite, with a mean diameter of 3,474 km and an average distance of about 384,400 km, varying over its elliptical orbit. Its apparent diameter is roughly 0.5° in the sky, and its visual magnitude near full phase is about −12.7. The surface is dominated by two main terrains: bright, ancient anorthositic highlands and darker basaltic maria, which are solidified lava plains mostly formed more than 3 billion years ago.

At 99% illumination, the Moon is a waxing gibbous, very close to full. The terminator — the line dividing the lit and unlit halves — lies near the lunar limb, so long shadows are limited to the edge of the disk and relief is less pronounced across the central face. Near this phase, albedo features are especially prominent, including the dark maria on the near side and bright impact-ray systems from craters such as Tycho and Copernicus. The lunar surface preserves a dense record of impacts because it lacks active weather and a substantial atmosphere.