What Happens on the Far Side of the Moon?
Side of the Moon
The near side of Moon, which is permanently turned towards Earth, is the only visible lunar hemisphere from Earth. The opposite side is the farther side.
The speed of rotation of Moon along its axis is the same as its orbital velocity around the Earth. For this reason, only one side of Moon is visible from Earth. It is called synchronous rotation or tidal locking.
The Moon is illuminated by the sun, and it also causes variations in the lunar phases.
There are times when the far side of the Moon is faintly visible from Earth. It occurs due to earthshine, the indirect reflection of sunlight from the surface of Earth onto the Moon.
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(Far Side of the Moon, photography taken from Apollo 16)
The far side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that always faces away from Earth. The far side has a rough and rugged terrain with a large number of impact craters. It has less area of the flat lunar surface as compared to the near side.
The far side has one of the largest craters of the solar system, called an Aitken basin located in the South Pole.
Both the far side and the near side experience two weeks of sunlight, then two weeks of night consecutively.
The far side of the Moon is also called a "dark side of the moon", where "dark" actually means the unseen side of Moon rather than that of lacking light.
Dark Side of the Moon Discovery
Approximately 18% of the far side of the Moon is occasionally visible from Earth due to libration. The remaining 82% remained unobserved until 1959, when the Soviet Lunar 3 space probe photographed it.
In 1960, the Soviet Academy of Sciences published the first atlas of the far side.
In the year 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts became the first humans to see the far side of the Moon in person.
All spacecraft, whether manned or unmanned, used to have soft landings on the near side of the Moon. On 3 January 2019, for the first time, 4 spacecraft landed on the far side of the Moon.
What Are the Different Phases of the Moon?
Half of the surface of Moon is always illuminated by sunlight, and the other half is dark.
However, the amount of light reflected by Moon that we can see from our point of view from Earth varies every day. This gives rise to different phases of the Moon.
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The Lunar Month
New Moon
Waxing Crescent Moon
First Quarter Moon
Waxing Gibbous Moon
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous Moon
Third Quarter Moon
What is the Temperature on the Moon?
Temperatures on the Moon are extreme; it depends on the warmth of the sun. Temperature ranges from boiling hot to freezing cold.
There is no atmosphere on the Moon, so heat cannot be trapped to insulate its surface.
The rotation of the Moon about its axis occurs in about 27 days. Daytime one side of the Moon is of about 13 and a half Earth days, while the other side experiences equal night time.
The temperature of the surface of the moon can reach about 127° C during the daytime, in the presence of sunlight.
The temperature of the surface of the Moon can reach about -173°C during night time, in the absence of sunlight.
Temperature changes across the Moon occur rapidly.
The near and farther portion experiences sunlight every lunar year due to the rotation of the Moon.
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Why Can’t We See the Dark Side of the Moon?
We can see only about 59% of the total surface of Moon.
We can see only one side of the Moon from the surface of Earth. Moreover, it seems to be at rest although it keeps on rotating about its axis and the earth.
John Keller, the deputy project scientist for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project, said that “the moon is tidally locked to the Earth”, and that's why we can't see the far side of the Moon.
The rotational speed of the Moon is the same as that of the Earth.
The Moon completes one full rotation about its axis at the same time as it takes to orbit around the Earth. This means that the same side of the Moon is always turned towards Earth.
The Moon has a tendency to spin faster. It is the Earth's gravitational force that holds it in place.
Explanation
The mass distribution of Moon is uneven. It appears spherical, but its geometric center is different from its center of mass. This offset is responsible for creating a gravitational gradient between the Earth and the Moon.
Initially, the Moon used to rotate faster, but it has slowed down its rotation when it tidally locked with the Earth.
The slowing down of the rotation of the Moon is due to the frictional force, which arises due to the gravitational gradient.
Consequently, the rotation of the Moon about its axis releases energy in the form of heat, until the relative motion of Moon and Earth is completely reduced.
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FAQs on Dark Side of the Moon: Complete Physics Guide
1. What is the 'dark side' of the Moon, and is it always dark?
The term 'dark side of the Moon' is a popular misnomer. The correct scientific term is the 'far side' of the Moon. It is the hemisphere of the Moon that always faces away from Earth. It is not permanently dark; like the near side we see, the far side also experiences a full cycle of day and night. A lunar day lasts about 29.5 Earth days, so the far side is illuminated by the Sun for about two weeks at a time, followed by two weeks of darkness.
2. Why do we only ever see one side of the Moon from Earth?
We only see one side of the Moon due to a phenomenon called synchronous rotation or tidal locking. Over billions of years, Earth's gravitational pull has slowed the Moon's rotation on its own axis to a speed that perfectly matches the time it takes to orbit our planet. As a result, the Moon rotates exactly once for every single orbit it makes around Earth, keeping the same face permanently turned towards us. For more details on this gravitational interaction, you can explore Why the Moon orbits Earth.
3. What does the far side of the Moon look like compared to the near side?
The far side of the Moon has a very different appearance from the near side. Its surface is:
- Heavily Cratered: It is covered in a vast number of impact craters of all sizes, much more so than the near side.
- Fewer Maria: It has very few 'maria' (the large, dark, basaltic plains that are prominent on the near side and were once mistaken for seas).
- Thicker Crust: Scientific evidence suggests the crust on the far side is significantly thicker than on the near side.
This rugged, cratered landscape is a primary feature, a stark contrast to the smoother, darker plains we see from Earth.
4. What important scientific discoveries have been made on the Moon's far side?
The most significant exploration of the far side was achieved by China's Chang'e 4 mission, which made the first-ever soft landing there in 2019. Key discoveries from this and other orbital missions include:
- Confirmation of the different geological composition compared to the near side.
- Analysis of the massive South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the Solar System.
- Conducting low-frequency radio astronomy experiments, which are impossible from Earth due to atmospheric and man-made interference.
5. If the far side isn't always dark, why is it so important for radio astronomy?
The far side of the Moon is considered the most radio-quiet location in the inner Solar System. Here on Earth, our radio telescopes are bombarded with interference from TV broadcasts, mobile phones, satellites, and natural radio emissions from our planet's ionosphere. The bulk of the Moon itself acts as a natural shield, blocking all of these terrestrial radio signals. This pristine environment allows scientists to detect faint radio signals from the early universe, which are otherwise impossible to observe.
6. How are the temperatures on the near and far sides of the Moon different?
There is no significant difference in the average temperatures between the near and far sides. Both hemispheres experience extreme temperature variations. During their respective long days (about two weeks), temperatures can soar to around 127°C (260°F). During the long nights, with no atmosphere to trap heat, temperatures can plummet to about -173°C (-280°F). The term 'dark side' does not refer to temperature, but only to the side we cannot see.
7. How does the concept of gravitation explain the existence of a 'far side'?
The existence of a permanent far side is a direct consequence of gravity. The Earth's gravitational force exerted a torque on the Moon when it was young and rotating much faster. This force created tidal bulges on the Moon, and the constant pull on these bulges gradually slowed its rotation over billions of years. This process, called tidal dissipation, continued until the Moon's rotation period matched its orbital period, resulting in it being tidally locked with Earth. The principles of Gravitation are fundamental to understanding this celestial dance.
