Space & big and small · News English
A big crater on a small moon
NASA features an old photograph of Phobos.
Read the story, check the words, then answer the questions and speak.
Look at the small moon
Is this a picture of Earth’s Moon?
1NASA shared a space picture on 9 October 2026. It shows Phobos, a small moon near Mars. It is not Earth’s Moon. There is a very big crater on it. The crater is called Stickney.
2A crater is a large hole in the ground. Stickney is about nine kilometres wide. It is very big next to the small moon.
3The photograph is old. A camera on a spacecraft took it in March 2008. NASA featured it again in October 2026. The colours in this picture are enhanced to help people see details.
4Look at the photo. Can you find the large crater? Can you see smaller holes too? Compare their sizes.
Original teaching summary. Models and practice sentences are illustrative learning examples, not news quotations.
Word help · Three useful words
Read the meanings and examples. Choose one word to use in your own sentence.
moon
an object in space that moves around a planet
Phobos is a moon of Mars.
crater
a large round hole in the ground
The picture shows a crater.
wide
measuring a long distance from side to side
The road is wide.
Check your reading · Three questions
Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.
Useful English: bigger and smaller
This hole is bigger than that hole. This box is smaller than that box. Use than when you compare two things.
Compare two objects near you. Use bigger than and smaller than.
Model and help
Model: My book is bigger than my phone. My phone is smaller than my book.
Speak: your ideas
Compare two objects near you. Use bigger than and smaller than. Speak for 30-45 seconds.
Labelled model answer
My book is bigger than my phone. My phone is smaller than my book.
This is an illustrative learning example, not a news quotation.
Alone: repeat without the model. Tutor: ask one follow-up question.
Mastery check · Three questions
Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.
Sources and reporting date
NASA feature published 9 October 2026 at 00:05 EDT (UTC-04:00). Archive photograph taken 23 March 2008.
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Stickney Crater
NASA feature published 9 October 2026 at 00:05 EDT (UTC-04:00). Archive photograph taken 23 March 2008. - Photograph source and credit
Archive enhanced-colour spacecraft photograph, 23 March 2008; featured in October 2026. Not a new impact.