Find the Moon Missions | The Schools' Observatory

Did you know that 6 Apollo missions landed on the Moon? The first was Apollo 11 in 1969. The last was Apollo 17 in 1972.

All 6 missions landed on the part of the Moon that faces the Earth. This means you can use the Liverpool Telescope to spot all 6 landing sites!

Even the Liverpool Telescope is not powerful enough to show you the equipment left behind on the Moon, but you will be able to see the features and sites the astronauts explored during their missions.

By the end of this activity you will:

Know more about the Apollo missions
Know how to use the Liverpool Telescope to observe a chosen part of the Moon
Know how to open and view the data the telescope collected

To complete this activity you will need:

To log into your account
A copy of the worksheet - use this to record your observations
To know how to make observations (Not sure how? Get started)
To know how to open, scale, and save observations (Not sure how? Get started)

IT Equipment

Access to the internet
Software that can view astronomical data files

A telescope pointed at the full Moon. There is a USA flag and a target icon in the top right part of the Moon.

Approx Duration

30 - 60 mins

Have a go at finding the landing sites of all 6 Apollo missions!

The picture of the Moon on this page shows you the locations of all 6 sites. Use it as a guide when choosing which part of the Moon to observe. Select the information button (i) at each location to learn more about the missions.

Visit Go Observing
Choose to observe the Moon
Select the part of the Moon you want the telescope to observe
Submit your observation
Wait for your observation to be ready*
Log in to your account and access your observations
Open and view your images
Record your results using the worksheet

*The observations will take place as soon as possible. However, the telescope can only observe the parts of the Moon that are lit up by the Sun. If the part you want to observe looks dark when you choose it, you may have to wait a while.

Tip! Use our calendar to check the Moon's phase on a specific date.

If you liked this, why not try

Timeline of the Apollo Missions

Why Does the Moon Have Phases?

The First Moon Landing Quiz

Have a go at finding the landing sites of all 6 Apollo missions!

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