Hey I'm just wondering... Does the dark side of the moon ever face earth?

Question

Of course I mean like does the dark side right now ever come around and face earth? (Then it wouldn't be the dark side of course!)

Answer 1

The idea of the "dark side" does not imply darkness, but rather that we can't see that side of the moon because it is always turned away from earth.  Because of variations in the moon's orbit, we can actually see a bit more than half of the moon's surface from earth.  

The first "dark side" pictures were taken by the Russians back in the late 1950s, but those pictures were very blurry.  There are good maps of the "dark side" with detailed photographs available these days.

As you know, the part of the moon that is dark moves around the moon as it orbits the earth, which gives us the view of the moon's phases (new moon, crescent, quarter, gibbous, full, etc.)

Answer 2

One side of the moon always faces Earth - it's"Tidally locked" such that we only see one side.

Answer 3

no

Answer 4

Yes, its called the eclipse.  the moon is between the sun and earth.  so what we are looking at is the dark side of the moon

Answer 5

Just staggering, the ignorance about basic astronomy.  Men have walked on the moon, but most people don’t even understand lunar phases.

Basically, the moon presents the same face to us all the time, as described adequately above.  

What is amazing is that people see a crescent moon and can’t get their minds around the fact that when they see that crescent, most of the lit half of the moon is on the side we can’t see.

At new moon, the far side of the moon is in total daylight.

At full moon, the far side of the moon is in full nightime.

Get it in your mind – THERE IS NO DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.

It aint difficult.

Answer 6

The "Moon" is flat, and there is only, one, side. But if you went around behind it, you would see a bunch of 2x4's holding it up.

Answer 7

No. The moon does not rotate about its axis like the Earth does. Thus, only one side faces the Earth at all times. An eclipse is simply the moon covering part of the sun. It is not the dark side of the moon we see.

Answer 8

nope  we only get to see one side no matter where on earth you are is just how it rotates  cant remember what exactly they call it...

Answer 9

there is one side of the moon that the earth will never see. when we look at the moon, we always see just one side of it. i am not very sure why this is but i think it is because the period of revolution of the moon is very similar to the period of rotation of the earth.

Answer 10

The far side of the Moon always faces away.  There are librations - a wobble of the Moon that lets us see a little more than half, but that's it.

The far side isn't always dark.  The New Moon phase shows us a dark moon.  At that time, the far side is lit up by the Sun.

Answer 11

No, the moon doesn't turn on an axis.

Answer 12

Nope.  The moon does indeed turn (otherwise, as it went around the earth, we would see all sides. . .you can try this out for yourself, just have a friend circle around you with their back to one wall at all times, and they will have to turn).

But with the rate at which the moon turns, we only ever see the side that faces us.  Hence why the dark side is called the dark side.

Answer 13

So many of you have the right answer for the wrong reason.  The Moon does rotate, but in a geosynchronis orbit, which means it's rotation on its axis takes the same amount of time as a rotation around Earth.  Therefore, the same side always faces us (Earth).  That's why we call it the dark side of the Moon, even though sunlight does reach it.

So, simply, no, the dark side never faces Earth.

Answer 14

ask Pink Floyd

Answer 15

since there is no such thing as the dark side of the moon, it can never face earth. the phrase "dark side of the moon" is only used by scintific illiterates.

Answer 16

Nope. It won't face us because the moon is tidaly locked to the earth. Basicly because it is rotates at around the same rate it revolves we will only see one side of the moon.