If the moon is spinning how come we never see the "darkside"?

Question

Why is it always the same side facing us?

Answer 1

It spins at the same rotational speed that it orbits the Earth, basically. It's tricky to picture, but imagine holding a tennis ball and moving it round a beach ball. As you move round the beach ball, slowly turn the tennis ball. You see it ends up with the same side always facing the beach ball? It's synchronous rotation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronous_rotation and is due to tidal locking:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_locking

Answer 2

The Moon does spin, albeit very slowly. So slowly in fact that by the time it has turned full circle it has travelled around the Earth once, which explains why we only see one side at a time - the near side. The side we don't see is referred to as the far side, and not the dark side - a common misconception. The dark side is actually that part of the Moon not receiving any light from the Sun at a given time, so constantly changes depending on the Moon/Sun positions.

The answer concerning the rotating trunk is wrong, but I can add to it to help explain further.
The truck would indeed rotate on it's axis. If you placed a fixed camera above the truck (but not attached to it - the camera doesn't turn with the truck), so that only the truck was in view, and watched it drive around the circle, you will see that it would make one revolution on it's axis to coincide with one circuit of the circle. Likewise, with the Moon, and it's orbit around the Earth.

Or, think of it like this: if the Moon wasn't spinning as it revolved around Earth, then we would definitely see the far side... but we don't... so it must be...

Answer 3

This is a very good question.

Since the moon was created its spin has been influenced by the earth's gravity over billions of years. So much time has passed that the spin of the moon has been slowed down to place it's rotation in sync with the earth, thus leaving the same face of the moon always facing us. The moon is spinning one rotation for each complete rotation it completes of the earth.

This is also true because of its distance from the earth.
For example, we have satellites in geo-sync orbits placed exactly 25,000 miles from the earth moving at a speed which make them remain over the same area of the earth during its normal rotation.

Answer 4

The rotation rate of the moon is the same as its orbital time around the earth.
It takes one lunar month to rotate once, this is the same time it takes to orbit our planet. Which is why we only ever see one side of the moon.
The moon does not in fact have a dark side, as every part is bathed in sunlight for two weeks every month due to it making a complete rotation once every month.
The truck answer is interesting and relates to viewpoint. Viewed from a central point (ie; the centre of a large roundabout) the truck would present only one face to you as does the moon does to earth, however viewed from outside the truck would be seen from all sides and halfway around the roundabout would be facing in the opposite direction to which it had started, it would indeed have rotated on its axis, if it had not it would not have been able to negotiate the roundabout.

Answer 5

It is rotating from our perspective (the lunar syndotic day) in 29 days, 12 3/4 hours. that's how long it takes to orbit the Earth as well, so it is keeping the same side toward us at all times. To demonstrate, take an object and move it around another, keeping the same side toward the fixed object at all times. When you have completed a full circle of the fixed object, you will have also turned the mobile object one full turn.

The lunar day above is given from our perspective. But we are moving as well. From a fixed celestial view (the lunar sideral day), the moon turns once every 27 days 7 3/4 hours.

Answer 6

The gravitational pull of the earth traps the facing side of the moon like a magnet, therefore it cannot spin or turn around the same way earth does. the darkside of the moon is always facing away from earth because of this pull of gravity

Answer 7

The moons spin and it's orbital rotation are the same so we see the same side all the time.

Answer 8

Because of the effect on the Moon of tidal forces due to the Earth, the same side of the moon always faces the Earth. In other words, it takes the Moon the same amount of time to rotate around once as it does for the Moon to go around the Earth once. Therefore, Earth-bound observers can never see the 'far-side' of the Moon. Tidal forces cause many of the moons of our solar system to have this type of orbit.

Answer 9

The moon spins only once for each rotation around the earth.

Answer 10

The moon spins on it`s axis once for each orbit round the Earth, therefore we only see one side. I have to say most of you don`t have a clue and your answers are only your opinion and not fact.