Surface of the Moon

Surface of the Moon
The Moon does not have any atmosphere. It also doesn't have any liquid water on its surface. During the day it becomes very hot, but at night it is icy cold. A person visiting the Moon needs an air supply and a special suit.
The Moon has many craters on its surface. The largest one is called the South Pole-Aitken Basin and is roughly 2500 km across.
We think nearly all the craters on moons or planets were made by huge rocks hitting them a long time ago. They are called impacts.
Some of the craters on the Moon look as if they have rays coming out of them. These rays are rocks thrown across the Moon by the impacts that made the craters. Some of the craters around the bottom of the Moon may have ice in them.
There are also darker areas called maria (said "MARR-ee-ah"). These are large pools of lava that cooled a long time ago. Most maria are on the side of the Moon we see from Earth. The lighter areas on the Moon are highlands.