79 The Moon Trivia Questions with Answers
79 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Moon trivia reaches beyond phases and eclipses into lunar exploration, geology, spacecraft, craters, minerals, and the history of scientific discovery. This collection includes NASA missions that searched for water or landed before Apollo, the Descartes Highlands, the Surveyor 3 site, Eugene Shoemaker’s lunar resting place, and the vast Ocean of Storms.
It suits space enthusiasts, science students, astronomy clubs, and quiz players who want more detailed questions than basic lunar facts. Expect a mixture of robotic missions, Apollo-era discoveries, international spacecraft such as Japan’s Kaguya, and terminology from lunar geography. The category works for classroom revision, a STEM quiz, family game night, or a space-themed pub quiz.
Which lunar crater is the resting place of Eugene Shoemaker's ashes?
Answer
Shoemaker
Which NASA program sent uncrewed Surveyor landers to the Moon before Apollo?
Answer
Surveyor program
What is the name of the largest near-side lunar basin, often called the Ocean of Storms?
Answer
Oceanus Procellarum
Which lunar mare's Latin name means Sea of Tranquility?
Answer
Mare Tranquillitatis
What was the first spacecraft to detect lunar water molecules from orbit?
Answer
Chandrayaan-1
Which Apollo 15 astronaut dropped a hammer and feather on the Moon?
Answer
David Scott
Which NASA spacecraft has orbited and mapped the Moon since 2009?
Answer
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
What is the name for the Moon's apparent wobble as seen from Earth?
Answer
Libration
Which lunar phase follows a new moon?
Answer
Waxing crescent
What is the Moon's equatorial circumference?
Answer
10,921 km
What is the Moon's mean radius in kilometers?
Answer
1,737.4 km
What was the first U.S. crewed space program to land people on the Moon?
Answer
Apollo program
Which Apollo astronaut hit golf balls on the Moon?
Answer
Alan Shepard
What is the Moon's extremely thin atmosphere called?
Answer
Exosphere
What is the name for the line dividing day and night on the Moon?
Answer
Terminator
What name is given to the Moon's dark basalt plains?
Answer
Lunar maria
What type of natural object is the Moon?
Answer
Natural satellite
Which planet does the Moon orbit?
Answer
Earth
What is the Moon's Latin name?
Answer
Luna
What is the Moon's mass in Earth masses?
Answer
0.0123
What is the Moon's orbital eccentricity?
Answer
0.0549
What was the name of the first American lunar orbiter?
Answer
Lunar Orbiter 1
Which mare is the largest on the Moon?
Answer
Oceanus Procellarum
What is the name of the mare where Apollo 11 landed?
Answer
Mare Tranquillitatis
How long does it take for moonlight to reach Earth?
Answer
1.28 seconds
What is the escape velocity of the Moon in kilometers per second?
Answer
2.38 km/s
What is the orbital inclination of the Moon relative to the ecliptic?
Answer
5.14 degrees
What was the name of the first Indian lunar probe to orbit the Moon?
Answer
Chandrayaan-1
What was the name of the Apollo 17 lunar module?
Answer
Challenger
What was the name of the first American spacecraft to orbit the Moon?
Answer
Lunar Orbiter 1
Which country's spacecraft first returned images of the far side of the Moon?
Answer
Soviet Union
The Moon trivia — quick answers
What are good Moon trivia questions?
Good Moon trivia questions can cover lunar phases, eclipses, exploration missions, craters, minerals, landing sites, spacecraft nicknames, and the Moon’s geological history. Questions about Apollo, Surveyor, Kaguya, the Ocean of Storms, Eugene Shoemaker, and lunar water make the subject broader than basic astronomy and provide accessible entry points for both students and experienced space fans.
How hard is Moon trivia?
Moon trivia ranges from easy questions about Earth’s natural satellite to difficult questions involving mission names, landing locations, crater geography, and minerals found in lunar samples. The category is approachable for general audiences because many missions are well known, but specialist details about robotic probes, lunar basins, and Apollo landing regions can challenge astronomy enthusiasts.
Which NASA mission searched for water by crashing into the Moon?
NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS, intentionally struck the Moon in 2009. Its upper stage impacted a permanently shadowed area near the south pole, while a shepherding spacecraft observed the resulting plume. Scientists analyzed the debris for evidence of water and other materials hidden in the crater’s cold, dark interior.
What is the Ocean of Storms?
The Ocean of Storms, or Oceanus Procellarum, is the largest lunar mare and the largest dark plain visible on the Moon’s near side. Despite its name, it is not an ocean of liquid water. The enormous basaltic region formed from ancient volcanic activity and is associated with several important lunar missions and landing sites.
Who is buried on the Moon?
Planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker is commemorated on the Moon rather than buried there in the usual sense. Some of his ashes were carried aboard NASA’s Lunar Prospector spacecraft and placed in a capsule that was intentionally sent into a lunar crater in 1999. Shoemaker became the first person whose remains were deposited on the Moon.