What's On The Far Side Of The Moon?

TL;DR

For most of human history, we had no idea what the far side of the Moon looked like, but it is drastically different from the near side and may hold reserves of ice and potential for a radio observatory.

Transcript

You probably know we only see one side of the Moon from the Earth. But for the majority of human history, we had no idea what the far side looked like. Billions of years ago, our Moon was formed when a Mars-sized object smashed into the Earth, spinning out a ring of debris. This debris collected into the Moon we know today. It started out rotating ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🫵 The Moon's rotation became locked with Earth's, hiding the far side from view throughout most of human history.
• 🧑‍🌾 The Soviet Luna 3 probe and Apollo 8's crew were among the first to capture images of the far side.
• 🧑‍🌾 The far side of the Moon has a significantly different appearance from the near side, with crater impacts covering most of its surface.
• 🧑‍🌾 The possibility of a second, smaller moon crashing into the far side could explain the differences between the two hemispheres.
• 🥶 The Moon's far side may hold reserves of ice in craters at the poles, which could be valuable for future space colonies.
• 🧘 The term "dark side of the Moon" is misleading, as half of the Moon is always in darkness depending on its position in orbit.
• 📻 The far side of the Moon provides a natural shield from Earth's radio transmissions, making it an ideal location for a radio observatory.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the Moon's rotation become locked with Earth's?

The Moon's rotation gradually slowed down due to Earth's gravity, causing it to become tidally locked, with one hemisphere always facing Earth.

Q: Why does the far side of the Moon look different from the near side?

The near side has large regions of ancient lava flows, called maria, while the far side is predominantly covered in crater impacts, potentially resulting from the collision of a smaller moon.

Q: Is there a permanent "dark side" of the Moon?

No, there is no permanent dark side. The side facing the Sun is always illuminated, but there are spots at the north and south poles that are in eternal darkness, possibly harboring ice reserves.

Q: Why is the far side of the Moon ideal for a radio observatory?

The far side of the Moon is shielded from Earth's radio transmissions, making it an excellent location for a sensitive radio observatory to study celestial objects without interference.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Moon was formed when a Mars-sized object collided with Earth, creating debris that eventually became the Moon. Its rotation gradually locked with Earth's, hiding one half from view.

• The far side of the Moon remained a mystery until the space age, with the Soviet Luna 3 probe in 1959 and Apollo 8's crew in 1968 being some of the first to capture images of it.

• The near side of the Moon has lava flows, while the far side is mainly covered in craters, possibly due to a smaller moon crashing into it billions of years ago.