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The Moon is rotating at the same rate that it revolves around Earth (called synchronous rotation), so the same hemisphere faces Earth all the time. Some people call the far side – the hemisphere we never see from Earth – the "dark side", but that's misleading.
The Earth and the Moon form the Earth-Moon satellite system with a shared center of mass, or barycenter. This barycenter is 1,700 km (1,100 mi) (about a quarter of Earth's radius) beneath the Earth's surface. The Moon's orbit is slightly elliptical, with an orbital eccentricity of 0.055. [1]
As the Moon orbits Earth, different parts of its face are illuminated by the Sun, leading to the lunar phases. [180] Due to their tidal interaction, the Moon recedes from Earth at the rate of approximately 38 mm/a (1.5 in/year).
The Moon was likely formed after a Mars-sized body collided with Earth several billion years ago. Earth's Moon is the only place beyond Earth where humans have set foot, so far. Earth's only natural satellite is simply called "the Moon" because people didn't know other moons existed until Galileo Galilei discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter ...
Oct 11, 2024 · The Moon rotates on its own axis at the same rate that it orbits around Earth. That means we always see the same side of the Moon from our position on Earth. 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."
May 23, 2023 · In terms of diameter, the moon is approximately one-fourth the size of Earth. When it comes to surface area, the Moon covers about 1/16th of Earth's total surface area.
People also ask
Why is the hemisphere on the Moon a dark side?
Which side of the Moon faces Earth?
Why is the moon called the Moon?
Why is there only one side of the Moon visible from Earth?
What is the Dark Side of the Moon?
Where did the Moon come from?
During a crescent moon, for example, the part of the Moon that faces Earth is mostly in shadow, and the far side of the Moon is mostly sunlit. The visible crescent is the only part of the lunar nearside that is experiencing daytime.
