Historical record · Earth’s companion

Moon

Follow our Moon from its ancient formation to telescopes, landers and returned samples.

Primary topic: Nature & the Universe

Scope of this guide

A selective natural and exploration history, ending with the 2024 far-side sample return. Ancient ages are rounded; exploration dates mark particular observations or mission achievements, not the discovery of a previously unknown Moon.

Actual source-review status

10 completed · 0 partial · 0 pending chapter reviews in this subject.

The factual audit is unfinished. These counts come from recorded chapter reviews, not legacy “reviewed” wording, confidence labels or image checks. A completed source review retains scientific and historical uncertainty.

Key chapters

c. 4.5 billion years ago
An impact origin for the Moon →
A violent encounter helps shape the Earth–Moon system.
Chapter source review completed: 2026-10-11 · Codex expansion source review. Scientific uncertainty is retained in the evidence note.
21 July 1969 · UTC
The first human footprints on the Moon →
Armstrong steps onto the surface; Aldrin follows.
Chapter source review completed: 2026-10-11 · Codex source audit. Scientific uncertainty is retained in the evidence note.
25 June 2024
Far-side samples return to Earth →
Chang’e 6 brings back material from the hemisphere facing away from Earth.
Chapter source review completed: 2026-10-12 · Codex second-expansion source review. Scientific uncertainty is retained in the evidence note.

Connected roads

These are authored connections in the existing catalogue, not an automatically inferred family tree.

Explore the later human landing on the Moon (related topic) · Subject guide
Explore the shared Earth–Moon formation milestone (related topic) · Subject guide
Explore the Apollo 11 road (related topic) · Subject guide

All chapters & review records

An impact origin for the Mooncompleted2026-10-11 · Codex expansion source review
Lava fills the lunar seascompleted2026-10-12 · Codex second-expansion source review
A telescope reveals a rugged Mooncompleted2026-10-12 · Codex second-expansion source review
Luna 2 reaches the lunar surfacecompleted2026-10-12 · Codex second-expansion source review
The far side enters the picturecompleted2026-10-12 · Codex second-expansion source review
Surveyor 1 lands gentlycompleted2026-10-12 · Codex second-expansion source review
The first human footprints on the Mooncompleted2026-10-11 · Codex source audit
Water molecules in sunlit lunar soilcompleted2026-10-12 · Codex second-expansion source review
Chandrayaan-3 makes a soft landingcompleted2026-10-12 · Codex second-expansion source review
Far-side samples return to Earthcompleted2026-10-12 · Codex second-expansion source review

Sources

Sources cited by the existing chapters. Listing a source does not mean every claim has been verified.