Why only one side of the Moon is seen?

Answer 1

The rotation of the moon just happens to be in the same sync as its orbit around the earth, so we only see one side. From the looks of the moon, though, it's speculated that the moon may have orbited faster or rotated faster, etc because there are crater marks on the earth side also, just not as many.

Actually, the moon is locked in its orbit so it always faces the Earth. The Moon is NOT perfectly round...technically its shaped like an egg due to the effects of gravity from the earth and possibly too when the moon was formed bilions of years agao after a huge meteor crashed into the earth and some of the Earth's molten core spewed out into space. Because the Earth is more massive than the Moon, it pulls on the Moon, "stretching" it closer to the Earth, throwing the shape and axis off, causing the moon unable to rotate on its own axis. This same effect is seen by the moons of other massive planets like Jupiter and Saturn. The same is effect is also seen with Mercury due to its close proximity the Sun and its massive gravitational effects.

Answer 2

The reason that one side of the moon is never visible from the Earth is because the moon spins once on its axis in precisely the same amount of time it takes to revolve around the Earth.

If its rate of rotation were slightly different than its rate of revolution, we would eventually be exposed to the entire surface of the moon.

However, these two intervals have been equal for all of recorded history, and probably for millions of years longer.

The same side of the moon always faces the Earth. The "dark side" of the moon is not actually dark -- it gets cycles of day and night just like most places on Earth -- it is just so named because we never see it. The "far side of the moon" is a more correct term.

This otherwise bizarre phenomenon can be explained in terms of a subtle effect generated by gravitation and friction. Through their mutual gravitational attraction, the Earth and the moon create tidal bulges on each other.

One bulge faces in the direction of the other body, and one faces away. These bulges generate heat through the friction of rock rubbing against itself. Over time, they siphon energy away from the rotational momentum of both bodies, producing a breaking effect.

Because the gravitational force of the Earth on the moon is greater than vice versa, the moon experiences the greater braking effect. Over time, the moon's rotation has progressively slowed until the rate of rotation matches the rate at which the tidal bulge moves around the body.

Today, lunar tidal bulges are located at a constant position with respect to the rotation of the moon, meaning a sort of equilibrium has been reached.

The Earth's rate of rotation slows over time due to moon-created tidal forces, but the braking effect is much smaller -- in order to be synchronized perfectly with the moon, the Earth would need to rotate only once per lunar cycle, or about every 30 days.

Then the moon would always be in the same place in the sky, and visible from only one side of the Earth, but this is not the case.

Answer 3

Because it rotates on its axis only once in the time it takes to orbit Earth. If it rotated any more or less than 1 time per orbit, we'd eventually see all sides of the moon. It doesn't, so we always see the same face of the moon.

Answer 4

The moon is tide-locked into orbit around the earth -- so the moon itself is not "rotating". Only one side of the moon points towards the earth at all times.

Answer 5

The moon spins on its axis (..10.3 mph) and orbits around Earth at 2,286 mph. With those two speeds and at the distance the moon is from us, the far side of the moon can't face Earth so we never see it. In other words, the ratio of lunar rotation to orbital velocity is such that the far side always faces away from us.

Answer 6

it rotates around its own axis with the same time period with which it rotate around earth. (About 29 days) That is why we don't see the other side. If our 'day' had been in 365*24 hours instead of the current 24 hours, one side of earth would not be able to see the sun. :-D

Answer 7

Thats eazy to anser! When I was in grade skool, they had a model of the solur sistem, and on the boddom of the Earth is a steel wire that goes out and hooks to the boddom of the moon, so it kant turn! You should pay a tention in skool so you learn sumpin!!!

Answer 8

The sun light only falls on one side of the moon.
Hence, the side that the light falls on get reflected back to earth, allowing us to see the moon.

Answer 9

Only one side of the moon is seen because it is a sphere. You can only see one side of it because it is on the other side of the one you can see.

Answer 10

the period of rotation and the revolution of the moon is the same.which is 27days,7 hrs & 43 mins.