Book 1, Question 96
Why Do We Only See One Face of the Moon?
No matter when you look, you see the same face of the Moon. The Moon does spin, but it spins once for every trip around Earth, so the same side always faces us. The page says the far side is not always dark, since it gets sunlight too, and we just cannot see it from Earth. To try it yourself, walk around a chair while keeping your face pointed at it the whole time, just like the Moon does with Earth.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 1
More fun facts
- The side of the Moon we never see from Earth is called the far side.
- The first time people ever saw the far side was in 1959, in pictures taken by the Soviet Luna 3 spacecraft.
- Luna 3 took 29 photos that covered 70 percent of the far side.
- Long ago, the Moon spun faster. Earth's pull slowed its spin until one spin took as long as one trip around Earth.
- Earth's gravity still stretches the Moon into a slight football shape.
- The Moon drifts away from Earth by about an inch and a half (4 cm) every year.
- Pluto and its moon Charon both always show the same face to each other.
- In April 2026, the Artemis II astronauts flew around the Moon's far side and photographed Earth setting behind the Moon.
Sources: NASA Science, NASA Science, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
Is the far side of the Moon always dark?
No. It gets sunlight too. It is just the side we never see from Earth.
Is the Moon moving away from Earth?
Yes, by about an inch and a half (4 cm) each year.