Cool Moon Facts by Whip

Real astronomy, with sources. Folklore & tradition.

Fact #019 Geology

Lunar noon is about 120°C. Lunar night is about -170°C. The same rock does both, twice a month.

There is essentially no atmosphere to move heat around or hold it in, so the surface tracks the Sun directly. A rock's lit face and its shaded face can differ by more than 100°C at once, which is why lunar hardware is wrapped in gold foil and why the two-week night is the hardest engineering problem on the Moon.

Source: LRO Diviner (opens in a new tab) · checked Aug 2026

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