The Far Side of the Moon; Credit - Apollo 16 astronauts/Public domain: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Back_side_of_the_Moon_AS16-3021.jpg “The dark side of the Moon.” This common phrase refers to the far side of the Moon which constantly points away from the Earth – we only ever see one side of the Moon. Above is a picture of this elusive side which you will never have seen with your own eyes from Earth. Despite what the phrase suggests, the far side of the Moon is not dark, receiving the same amount of sunlight as the Earth-facing side. [1] So what causes this phenomenon? Tidal locking The Moon completes an orbit of the Earth once every 27.3 days. It also spins about its axis once every 27.3 days. [2] Scientists call this synchronous rotation: ‘the rotation of an orbiting body on its axis in the same amount of time as it takes to complete a full orbit.’ [3] However, this has not always been the case. After its initial formation, presumably following a collision w...
