Where does this come from, and can I check it?

With no air to hold heat, the surface swings hundreds of degrees a day. The figure is taken from NASA Moon, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a space fact?

Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The lunar night falls to about minus 173 Celsius

With no air to hold heat, the surface swings hundreds of degrees a day Daytime equatorial temperatures reach around 120 Celsius. Some polar craters never see sunlight and stay near minus 200, holding water ice. The lack of atmosphere also means shadows are razor sharp. It sits in Mondo's space collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

NASA Moon

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Space & Astronomy trivia

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Tags: moon, temperature, environment

The lunar night falls to about minus 173 Celsius: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: With no air to hold heat, the surface swings hundreds of degrees a day. The figure is taken from NASA Moon, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a space fact?: Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.