Begin Immediately why does earth only see one side of the moon elite watching. Without any fees on our video portal. Get lost in in a extensive selection of videos offered in first-rate visuals, designed for top-tier viewing followers. With up-to-date media, you’ll always get the latest with the most recent and exhilarating media adapted for your liking. Uncover hand-picked streaming in gorgeous picture quality for a truly engrossing experience. Enroll in our entertainment hub today to browse private first-class media with for free, subscription not necessary. Get access to new content all the time and discover a universe of singular artist creations engineered for top-tier media followers. Don't pass up specialist clips—rapidly download now freely accessible to all! Remain connected to with instant entry and jump into high-grade special videos and get started watching now! Get the premium experience of why does earth only see one side of the moon specialized creator content with rich colors and unique suggestions.

The reason for this similarity is simple The answer lies in the moon's synchronous rotation, also known as tidal locking. 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? But no matter the phase, we always see the same side of the moon from our vantage point on 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.

The side of the moon closer to earth experiences stronger gravitational attraction than the side farther away

This difference creates a stretching effect, deforming the moon slightly into an ovoid shape with bulges aligned with earth These differential forces generate a torque on the moon. 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

First, the moon's orbit around earth is elliptical not circular so its rotation is sometimes ahead, and sometimes behind, its orbital motion. 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?

At the time of the full moon, the sun is shining full on the face we always see

And at new moon, the moon is on the opposite side of its orbit from when it was full. The far side of the moon and why we can't see it from earth, the answer lies in the fascinating interaction between our planet and its satellite. 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 This means that one full 'day' of the moon (meaning the length of time it takes for the moon to rotate.

Discover the science behind why we only see one side of the moon Learn about the moon's rotation, tidal locking, and more in this fascinating article. The moon goes through different phases as it orbits the earth, from crescent to quarter to gibbous

OPEN