average temperature on the sunny side of the moon
There is no significant atmosphere on the moon, so it cannot trap heat or insulate the surface. The moon rotates on its axis in about 27 days. Daytime on one side of the moon lasts about 13 and a half days, followed by 13 and a half nights of darkness. When sunlight hits the moon's surface, the temperature can reach 253 degrees F (123 C). The dark side of the moon can have temperatures dipping to minus 243 F (minus 153 C). LRO Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment surface temperature map of the south polar region of the Moon.