Does the moon rotate on its axis?

Question

If the moon does rotate why can't we ever see the other side of it?

Answer 1

im so proud of everyone, all the answers are right, more or less

we really are getting good at this science and math stuff

Answer 2

Yes it does. In fact, it is precisely because the moon rotates that we always see the same side of it.

The moon has been orbiting the earth for such a long time that it has become what is known as "tidal locked". It spins at just such a rate that the same side is always facing the earth.

Imagine you're walking around someone, while always facing in the same direction (say, at a wall behind them, or something). If they look at you, they'll always see a different side of you depending on where you are around them.

But now imagine you're walking around a person such that you're always facing them. How do you do this? You have to turn as you walk in order to do this.

Same idea with the moon.

Eventually, the same thing will happen to the earth - the same side of earth will always face the moon. That's what happens when two bodies orbit each other for long enough; they become tidal locked. This is actually the case with Pluto and its moon.

Answer 3

The moon does rotate on its axis - once (more or less) per orbit. This is why we always see just one side of it: it spins just about as fast as it orbits around the Earth.

If it didn't spin at all, then we'd definitely see all sides of it, correct?

This all sounds unlikely, but the reason why the moon keeps one face always pointed to the Earth is that it is "gravitationally tidally locked."

This just means that the Earth, which masses far more than the Moon, exercises such gravitational influence on the Moon that it always keeps one side pointed to Earth.

Does this help?

Answer 4

It rotates once per every revolution of the earth. That's why we only see one side of it. If it didn't rotate at all, we would see all sides of it in the course of one moon orbit.

Answer 5

The moon's rotation is synchronous with its orbit around the Earth, so we always see the same side.

Answer 6

yes, because it rotates at the same speed as it revolves around the earth. get a tennis ball and put an X on it, hold it at arms lenght and move it around your head. in order to keep seeing the X, you have to rotate the ball in your hand. same with the earth and moon

Answer 7

it turns one time for every time it travels around the earth
if i remember right 28 days