International Moon Day 2024: Theme, Significance, History, Facts

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Those were the first words when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon on July 20, 1969. The world will observe International Moon Day on July 20, 2024. The day will bring back the memories of glorious moon landing and also motivate people to learn more about topics such as sustainable Moon Exploration and Utilization of the Moon.

International Moon Day Date

International Moon Day

Did you know?

Here are some interesting facts about our beloved moon that you probably didn’t know.

1. The Moon is the second densest natural satellite after Jupiter’s moon Io.
2. Moon orbits the Earth with the speed of 2300 miles per hour.
3. Till now, 12 men have walked on the moon- Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, Charles “Pete” Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, David R. Scott, James B. Irwin, John W. Young, Charles M. Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt.
4. Weight of the human body decreases by 16.5% on the moon.
5. The mass of the moon is 73,476,730,924,573,500,000,000 kg, which is about 1.2% of Earth’s mass.
6. We always see the same face of the moon from Earth because the moon is always in synchronous rotation with Earth.
7. The moon is moving approximately 3.8 cm away from the Earth every year and is expected to do so for around 50 billion years.
8. During the 1950s, the USA considered detonating a nuclear bomb on the moon.
9. The Moon is the only natural satellite of Earth which was formed 4.6 billion years ago. This was around 30–50 million years after the formation of the solar system.
10. The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was Luna 1 in 1959 which passed within 5995 km of the surface of the Moon.

Significance of International Moon Day

The Moon Village Association and a Group within its organization proposed the celebration of International Moon Day.

The aim behind observing this special day is to reach the general public, specially our young generations and teach them about astrology and astronomy.

History of Moon Exploration

Luna 2 was the spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union that made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. It was the first step towards exploration of moon and since then many countries including Japan, China, USA, India and others have launched their spacecraft with the aim to get a better understanding of the celestial body revolving round our planet.

The first human landing, however, was achieved by the Apollo 11 mission of the Unites States when Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon.

International Moon Day History

An application by submitted by the Moon Village Association at the 64th UN-COPUOS Session stating to observe July 20 as International Moon Day. The day was selected to commemorate the first human landing on moon done on July 20, 1969 with the United States’ Apollo 11 mission.

On December 9 2021, the United Nation General Assembly adopted the resolution stating that July 20 will be observed every year as International Moon Day.

International Moon Day 2024 Theme

International Moon day 2024 will be celebrated based on theme “Illuminating the Shadowsy”.

Celebration of International Moon Day

In cooperation with UNOOSA, the International Moon Day will be observed as an annual event and general public celebrations will be held all over the world. Many educational and cultural events to teach people about sustainable Moon Exploration and Utilization of the Moon will be organized.

International Moon Day is chosen as the day to educate and promote the awareness on the status and prospects for humanity.

International Days in July

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