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Permanently shadowed regions
- These areas are called permanently shadowed regions, and they appear dark because unlike on the Earth, the axis of the Moon is nearly perpendicular to the direction of the Sun's light.
moon.nasa.gov/resources/97/the-moons-permanently-shadowed-regions/The Moon's Permanently Shadowed Regions - Moon: NASA Science
People also ask
What is the 'Dark Side' of the Moon?
Is the Moon always dark?
Why does the Moon go dark?
Why can't we see the far side of the Moon?
The dark side of the moon is supposed to be the side we never see, the side that faces away from Earth. This side of the moon faces the cold, black expanse of space. What could be on this side of the moon? What are conditions like there? Is it really always dark?
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- The Terminator Line in Motion
- The Terminator and Phases of The Moon
- The Straight Wall
- Lunar Features Best on The Terminator
- Terminator Line on Other Bodies
The terminator isn’t fixed on the moon, of course. It creeps across the moon’s surface, with the change in its location noticeable in just hours to those peering through telescopes. A day on the moon lasts 29.5 Earth-days. The moon’s terminator moves a bit slower than 10 miles per hour (16 kph) across the moon’s surface. That pace seems almost glac...
As we see it from Earth, the moon’s terminator marks the line of lunar sunsets or sunrises. As the moon orbits eastward around Earth, the sunrise terminator crosses our satellite. This creates the familiar phases we recognize as waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous and finally full. On a full moon, we see no terminator at all, because the...
One popular feature that is seen in its “best light” by the terminator is the lunar Straight Wall. The Straight Wall, also known as Rupes Recta, is a fault line that lies inside Mare Nubium, a basin in the southern portion of the moon. The Straight Wall is one of those details on the moon that can all but disappear except for when the terminator hi...
Even the more obvious lunar features, such as large craters, benefit from viewing them when the terminator will pass over them. For example, the craters Copernicus and Eratosthenes to Montes Apenninusshow their elevation best in contrasting light.
But wait! The moon isn’t the only solar system object to display a terminator. Any planet and satellite with an external source of light, such as the sun, can display a terminator. Inferior planets, those that are inside Earth’s orbit, more markedly show the terminator and phases. So, for example, on Earth we can see Venus and Mercury’s phases. And...
Jun 9, 2023 · With apologies to Pink Floyd, there is no permanent dark side of the moon. There is, however, one side of the moon that never faces Earth head-on. The moon completes a full, 360-degree orbit around our planet every 27.32 days (relative to the stars we can see from our home planet).
May 5, 2019 · The term "dark side of the Moon" is really a misnomer for the "far side". Each side of the Moon is dark for 14 earth days each month. The far side of the Moon has been explored by the United States, Russia, and China.
May 3, 2024 · While the far side of the moon may seem dark from our perspective, it experiences a lunar day and lunar night just like the near side, and receives plenty of illumination. A lunar day lasts...
Apr 29, 2019 · Being shielded from civilization means the far side of the moon is “radio dark.” There, researchers can measure weak signals from the universe that would otherwise be drowned out.
Jan 3, 2019 · Despite its name, the dark side of the moon is exposed to the same amount of sunlight as the nearer side of the moon. The term “dark side” is used because the side is less visible to Earth, even...
