Lunar Activities

Collected here are a few educational activities related to eclipse science that particularly highlight the Moon, recommended by the LRO education team. You are welcome to appropriately modify the activities as needed to ensure they meet the needs of your audience as well as the space, time, and resources you have available.

Informal Educator Moon Resources

The Moon

Visit NASA’s official page of all things Moon!

LRO at Scientific Visualization Studio

LRO satellite illustrations, videos, and multimedia

“Max Goes to The Moon”

The award winning children’s book, “Max Goes to The Moon” (for planetariums and flat screens).

Online Moon books

from NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive (NSSDC)

Moon Fact sheet

from NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive (NSSDC)

CRaTER mini-comic

make a mini comic book about cosmic rays and CRaTER (Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation)

LRO and Moon Lithographs and Posters

These double sided informational lithographs and posters can be printed to support a variety of lunar studies.

Moon Education Posters

Download a variety of moon posters from the Lunar and Planetary Institute

LRO Current Location

Take a look at where LRO is now with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC).

LRO Datasets for Science On a Sphere

LROC visible imagery

A global mosaic of the Moon captured by LRO’s Wide Angle Camera.

LOLA topography

High resolution global topography of the Moon from LRO’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter.

LOLA surface roughness

A global mosaic of the surface roughness of the Moon, derived from data collected by LRO’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter.

LOLA surface slope

A global mosaic of slopes found on the surface of the Moon, derived from data collected by LRO’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter.

Evolution of the Moon

A short, narrated Science On A Sphere show depicting the evolution of our Moon all the way from when it was a ball of magma orbiting the Earth, through today.

Return to The Moon

A short, narrated Science On a Sphere show touching on some of the essential scientific subjects that LRO scientists study.

Phases of the Moon

A short animation showing sunlit and shadowed portions of the Moon over the course of a month.

Teacher Resources

LRO Educator Resource Kit (PDF) 42MB

Education and Outreach professionals from the LRO Mission developed these lessons, activities and resources. For grades 6-8

Exploring the Moon Teacher’s Guide (PDF) 5MB

A teacher’s guide with activities for Earth and Space Sciences. For grades 4-12

Educator’s Guide to Moon Phases

Phases of the Moon is at the top of the list of things that students seriously misunderstand. Most teachers run into problems in trying to explain the Moon’s phases to youngsters, and evidence suggests that many have a very difficult time with the concepts. For grades 3 – 12

Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon

The Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon by Bowker and Hughes (NASA SP-206) is considered the definitive reference manual to the global photographic coverage of the Moon. For grades 7-14

Educator’s Guide to Eclipses

Eclipses have long been a source of mystery and spectacle. These events were viewed with fear and dread in the past and, even today, still thrill. For grades 3 – 12

On the Moon Activity Guide

In this activity guide, NASA and DESIGN SQUAD team up to inspire a new generation of engineers. The guide offers six hands-on challenges that bring engineering and NASA’s moon missions to life for kids at events, and in school, and afterschool programs. For grades 3 – 12