The Moon receives an equal amount of sunlight on each side, during the lunar day.
The dark side of the Moon refers to the side opposite to the one we see. Since the Moon is tidally locked to the Earth, we only ever get to see one side of the Moon from our vantage point on Earth.
The descriptor “dark side” suggests that darkness perpetually covers the surface of one side of the moon. While it’s true that some part of the moon is dark at any particular time, it’s not always the same part.
A more accurate term to describe the side of the moon we see is the near side. The side opposite the near side is the far side.
It’s good to know this!! I always thought The Far Side of the Moon was Pitch Black… the moon does not revolve does it?
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It does around the earth but it does not have a rotation of its own.
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Yes, the moon rotates. However, it’s day is also it’s year (our month) – it rotates so slowly that one side is always facing earth (if it didn’t rotate, we would be seeing different sides of it at different times of the month).
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If craters are cause from celetrial impacts, where did all the craters (on the near side) come from?
I imagine we attacked first… we always attack first. 😦
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According to scientists it was in rotation before it became tidal locked. That could easily explain the craters (if they are correct)
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Plausible. I mean, sounds as good as any other explanation. Any idea how it became tidal locked?
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It’s a behavior of gravity on smaller objects that still have inertia.
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I recommend reading “Worlds in Collision” by Immanuel Velikovsky.
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I’ll put that book on my “reading” list… thanks
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That was interesting. I had not known that there was no “dark side” to the moon.
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Yeah, I knew that the “dark” side was really “far”.
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People hear things, they believe them, and they don’t reason them out. When the moon is full as seen from earth, that is the only time in the lunar cycle that the far side of the moon is totally dark. Imagine moving a ball in a circle around a lamp in a dark room. exactly one-half the ball is always lit up (the side facing the lamp is always lit, the side facing away from the lamp is always dark), while one-half the ball is always dark. The rotation of the ball does not matter. The only time this is not true is during a lunar eclpse, when the earth comes between the sun and the moon. During a lunar eclipse the far side of the moon is completely dark, while the part of the moon that falls within the earth’s shadow is also dark. During a total lunar eclipse the whole moon is dark, but only for a short while.
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Makes sense since what did we expect to happen during new moons or an eclipse? All because we don’t see it doesn’t really mean it’s dark… hmm
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I love to read about the moon!
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As “The Moon” turns – these are the days of our lives.
There is still so much we don’t know about “The Moon”
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Of course there is a dark side of the moon.
I have the album.
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Lol not even close
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