TODAY marks International Observe the Moon Night, as astronomers and enthusiasts across the globe look to the skies to gaze at our nearest neighbour in space.

Started on September 10 2010, the project was conceived by NASA and other astronomical organizations to encourage observation, appreciation, and understanding of our Moon.

While this is a great opportunity for both South Wales Argus Camera Club members and individuals alike to capture the Moon, if you have even a small pair of binoculars, this evening presents a chance to look for some of the landing sites used by the Apollo missions during the late 1960's and 1970's (see map).

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Measuring 2,159 miles in diameter, and at an average distance of 238,855 miles away, the Moon is the fifth largest satellite in our solar system.

Its surface is littered with impact craters from rocks, and large darker areas, formed by lava flows during a more active period in the Moon's history. These darker areas are called 'Mare' from the Latin for 'Seas', which early astronomers mistook them for (see map).

The Moon was formed 4.6 billion years ago, around 30-50 million years after the formation of the solar system.

The first uncrewed mission to the Moon was in 1959 by the Soviet Lunar Program. The first man on the Moon was Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, while the last man to walk on the Moon was Gene Cernan on the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

  • *Maps Courtesy of BBC Four's The Sky at Night and Space.com