We almost always see the same surface when we stare at the moon, the same patterns of craters and cavities, thanks to the way that the moon moves, rotating and revolving around earth So, what about the other surface of our only natural satellite? The parts we do not see are simply in darkness or shadow The phases of the moon are easy to understand once you realise and remember that the phases are dependent upon the location of the sun, moon, and earth The phases occur because the sun lights different parts of the moon as the moon revolves around the earth. Tidal locking is the reason why we see only one side of the moon tidal locking is a phenomenon where the moon’s rotational period matches its orbital period around earth
This synchronous rotation means that the same side of the moon is always facing earth while the other side remains hidden. The distinctive pattern of bright highlands and dark lunar maria on the moon has been turned towards us for millennia, visible to every human who has ever stood on earth But why do we only see this one side of the moon We know that earth spins about its axis, so why don’t we get to see the full lunar surface as our moon does the same? The simple answer (and one that you’ve probably heard before) is that we only see one side of the moon because the moon rotates around the earth at the exact same speed as it rotates around its own axis, so that the same side of the moon is constantly facing the surface of the earth. All of the manned space missions to the moon have landed on the nearside due to communication needs, so humans have physically explored this side much more.
But as the moon orbits around the earth, at some points in its orbit the sunlit part of the moon can be seen from the earth, and at other points, we can only see the parts of the moon that are in shadow.
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