The Moon has been a source of wonder and curiosity for humans even since we started looking up. From when Galileo first observed the craters on the lunar surface astronomers have been able to slowly piece together its turbulent history, with some help from a prominent New Zealand astronomer!

Using our planetarium software we take a tour of the lunar features and explore the expansive lava filled seas and piece together the sequence of impact events that have shaped the Moon we see today. It’s through observation of the lunar surface that astronomers have been able to create a timeline of successive bombardments by asteroids. These can also be related to the few remnant impact craters we have on Earth where we can observe the weathering effects of the atmosphere and plate tectonics. In understanding the history of the Moon we get to understand the history of the Solar System and how its stability, that we enjoy today, was significantly different in its turbulent past.