1. The young Moon was hit by a storm of asteroids. Here, an artist shows how a big impact on the young Moon might have looked. The asteroids broke apart when they hit the Moon. Illustration Credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute Kid Moon: Splat! Activity Explore! Marvel Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/explore

2. These impacts left scars that we can see today: impact basins — really big craters! Scientists think that all of these features may have formed during a sudden storm of asteroids. The “storm” may only have lasted about 400 million years – a very short time for the Moon! Image Credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute Kid Moon: Splat! Activity Explore! Marvel Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/explore

3. Craters on the Moon are larger than the asteroids that created them — 10 to 20 times larger! This illustration shows how Orientale Basin, on the Moon, is as wide as the state of Texas (about 580 miles, or 930 kilometers, across)! Illustration courtesy of Rick Kline, Cornell University Kid Moon: Splat! Activity Explore! Marvel Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/explore

4. Our young solar system was a messy place! Earth was hit by asteroids during the same time as the young Moon. In this illustration, the Moon is also being hit by an asteroid. The impact formed the Serenitatis Basin, which is still on the Moon today. The Apollo 17 mission landed near the rim of Serenitatis and brought back rocks that had been broken, melted, and fused by the impact. Image Credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute - Center for Lunar Science and Exploration Kid Moon: Splat! Activity Explore! Marvel Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/explore

5. Scientists think the young Moon’s largest impactors came from the asteroid belt, which lies between Mars and Jupiter. NASA scientists are studying the whole solar system to understand where so many big impactors came from to strike the Moon. They study areas of the solar system where asteroids can still be found today. Image Credit: NASA Kid Moon: Splat! Activity Explore! Marvel Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/explore

6. Asteroids are material left over from the formation of the solar system. They are made of rock and metal. Asteroids range in size from Ceres, which has a diameter of about 600 miles (1000 km), down to the size of pebbles. Image Credit: NASA Kid Moon: Splat! Activity Explore! Marvel Moon http://www.lpi.usra.edu/explore