Why Do We Always See The Same Side Of The Moon From Earth
Olivia Luz
It s a good thing too because if it weren t this way half the earth would be too hot to be habitable and one half would be too cold.
This happens because the moon rotates on its axis in the same amount of time it takes to orbit earth a trait called synchronous rotation. For example in a lunar eclipse the back side of the moon is receiving all of the sunlight. The moon rotates on its axis at about the same speed as it revolves around the earth. Over billions of years the earth s gravity has forced the moon to spin synchronously with its orbit.
That means we always see the same side of the moon from our position on earth. A simple demonstration shows the idea. They make great gifts. For starters the moon is not stuck in place with one side facing us.
When we look at the moon we always see the same side. We on earth always see the same face of the moon but the dark side of the moon is not always dark. A lthough we see many phases of the moon we do not see many faces from earth we always see nearly the same face of the moon. The earth orbits around the sun and spins on its axis so that the side of the globe that is facing the sun is always changing.
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The side we don t see gets just as much light so a more accurate name for that part of the moon is the far side we only ever see one side of the moon because as it orbits around earth it also rotates on its own axis at the same speed. What s up with that. The side facing away from the sun is in shadow. There s no such thing as a permanently dark side of the moon.
The moon rotates at the same speed as the earth rotates. The moon revolves around the earth at the same rate the earth rotates on its axis. It s just that the amount of time it takes the moon to complete a revolution on its axis is the same it takes to circle our planet about 27 days. As a result the same lunar hemisphere always faces earth.
Here s how it goes. But have you ever wondered why we are limited to seeing only around 59 percent of the moon. Earthsky lunar calendars moon show phases for all year. This is not a coincidence.
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Our lunar companion rotates while it orbits earth. As the moon orbits the earth the same side is facing the earth but the shadow moves across the whole of the moon.Source : pinterest.com