![]() New moons can be readily seen only when they pass directly in front of the sun, causing solar eclipses. At night, this phase of the moon is impossible to see: Since new moons are in the same part of the sky as the sun, they rise and set with the sun and are overwhelmed by its glare. New moons occur when the moon’s orbit takes it between Earth and the sun, leaving the lunar orb’s unilluminated side facing Earth. Want to learn more about the moon and related topics? Moonwalk over to the links on the next page.What is the moon made of, and how did it form? Learn about the moon's violent origins, how its phases shaped the earliest calendars, and how humans first explored Earth's only natural satellite half a century ago. Until then, we'll have to go loony over the side that faces us. We might even start to see NASA and other organizations erect radio relay towers on the moon's surface to make such exploration possible. Because the moon's bulk would block radio signals to and from the Earth, it may be years before engineers come up with a way to explore the far side to a greater extent. So there's no permanent dark side of the moon, but there is a far side that's still mostly a mystery to us. With a full moon, it's the near side's version of noon. ![]() During a new moon, you're looking at the near side during lunar nighttime. Whether it's a full moon or a new moon, you're still looking at the same side of the moon - the near side. You'd be able to see that person clearly. Going back to our example, imagine that you have your back to a light source and someone is standing in front of you. ![]() That's exactly what a new moon is.Ī full moon is when the Earth is between the moon and the sun. You wouldn't be able to make out any details, but you could see the person in silhouette. Someone walks between you and the light source. Imagine that you're in a room that has only one light source shining into it from one side. In fact, during a new moon the moon is between the sun and the Earth. Does that mean that if you were to travel through time to the future, travel to the right spot on Earth and stare up at the sky you'd always be able to see the moon? The answer is no, and it has to do with the phases of the moon.Ī common misconception about the moon is that a new moon occurs when the Earth blocks light from the sun, casting the moon into shadow. Once the Earth's rotation matches the time it takes for the moon to orbit the Earth, the same side of Earth will face the moon all the time. That means that in the future, one Earth day will equal 40 of our current Earth days, or about 960 hours. By that time, the moon and Earth will have drifted apart from each other a bit, which means it will take a little longer for the moon to travel around the Earth - to the tune of about 40 days or so. Still, in a few billion years, the Earth's rotation will match the time it takes the moon to orbit the Earth. But the change is so gradual you'd never notice it. Ever feel like the days are getting longer? They are. Interestingly, the moon is doing the same thing to the Earth. Its rotation is locked with the time it takes to orbit the Earth. ![]() The pull on the moon from the Earth has slowed the moon's rotation down to its current speed. So why do we only see one side of the moon from Earth, and what do the phases of the moon have to do with it? Keep reading to find out. We just can't see the far side of the moon, even when the sun is shining on it, because the far side always faces away from us. Both receive sunlight at certain points of the moon's orbit around the Earth. If you were to fly from America to Australia just to get a look at the moon down there, you'd see the same features you're familiar with back home.īoth the near side and the far side of the moon have a day and a night. This is true even on the opposite side of the Earth. The near side will always face toward us, and the far side will always face away. The side opposite the near side is the far side. It all depends on when during the lunar day we look at the moon.Ī more accurate term to describe the side of the moon we see is the near side. The side of the moon we see is sometimes the day side, and sometimes the night side. What does this have to do with the side we see when we look at the moon from Earth? That's where things can get confusing. The day side is the side currently receiving sunlight, while the night side faces away from the sun. Since the dark side of the moon shifts as the lunar day progresses, it's more accurate to say that the moon has a day side and a night side, just like the Earth. ![]()
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