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The reason for this similarity is simple This synchronous rotation makes us always see the same side of the moon, but we can see more than 50% of its surface due to libration. 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 moon is tidally locked with earth, meaning it rotates on its axis at the same speed as it orbits earth 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? This means that one full ‘day’ of the moon (meaning the length of time it takes for the moon to rotate around itself once) is about 4 weeks long If the moon didn’t rotate at all, we would see all of its sides The only way for us to see such a constant face of the moon is if it’s also rotating

There’s a great visualization of this. The moon orbits earth in synchronous rotation, always keeping the same face toward us Learn how humans have explored the nearside and farside of the moon with space missions and satellites. Over billions of years, the earth’s gravity has forced the moon to spin synchronously with its orbit

However, things are a bit more complicated than that

Viewed from earth, the moon appears to rock slowly backwards and forwards so that we see a slightly different face throughout the lunar month There are two main reasons for this. The moon is tidally locked to earth, meaning it rotates on its axis at the same speed as it orbits earth This results in the moon always showing the same face to earth, and explains the far side and dark side misconceptions.

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