What Is The Surface Of The Moon Really Like?

The moon has long been an intriguing sight for astronomers. It's the closest thing to Earth and it can be fascinating to look at and wonder exactly what it is like on there. There is video of astronauts bounding around on the lunar surface and there are displays of moon rocks at certain museums, but that can only tell part of the story. What does this satellite of ours, with all of its pockmarks and craters — and even some formations that appear to depict a face — consist of? 

When you look up at the moon, you are seeing the fifth largest moon in the solar system (per NASA). It helps our own planet by moderating its climate, and it affects the tides of the ocean, which is important to sailors. It is believed that it came about after an object that was roughly the size of Mars collided with Earth and the piece that fell off formed the moon. 

That's cool and all, but the big question is: If you were able to walk on the surface of the moon, what surface would you actually be walking on? No, you would not be walking on cheese. It's actually fascinating how the moon came to look like it does and what lies below its surface. 

There was a time when the moon had volcanic activity and magma flowed. This was very early in its development and it cooled down fairly quickly. Well, relatively quickly — it did it for 1 billion out of its 4 billion years (per Space). Astronomers believe that there was even an ocean of magma at one time — definitely not for surfing or fishing. When it cooled down, the result was an expanse of rocks that looked like it could be oceans. That is why some parts of the moon have the name "Mare" in it — Latin for "ocean." Overall, the moon is very rocky. Water has been discovered in parts of the moon, but it those who study it believe that there could be more of it found under the surface.

Not only is the ground very rocky, but people would see a lot of craters due to comets and other things slamming into it over the course of its life. While walking on another place other than Earth might be very interesting at first, the moon does not offer much in the way of scenery, besides the craters. There are missions planned to have people live there, but (per Engadget) that's probably still a few years in the future.