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Why is the far side of the moon on, well, the far side of the moon?
The moon is tidally locked. That means that it rotates in sync with its orbit around Earth, so that the same side of the moon always faces us. It used to rotate faster, but Earth’s pull slowed it down and locked it in place.
The lunar far side is much more elevated than the near side, which has a group of facelike splotches that some call the man in the moon. All that mass on the far side is pretty attractive, gravitationally speaking. So it would seem to make more sense if the far side of the moon had been the one pulled in our direction.
A new study in the journal Icarus offers an explanation for the moon’s seemingly unbalanced configuration. [Oded Aharonson, Peter Goldreich and Re'em Sari, "Why Do We See the Man in the Moon?"] Which way the moon locked into place depended on how asymmetric it was, as well as on the torque the moon felt from Earth’s gravity.
Given those factors, the researchers concluded that the chances were about two to one that the moon would lock into place in its current orientation. Which means that in a universe of infinite wonders, the man in the moon is still an odds-on favorite.
—John Matson
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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5 Comments
Add CommentWhen I was 38 my 5 year old daughter forever changed my view of the Moon, and everything when on an evening stroll, I pointed out the Man in The Moon.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisShe replied pointing, "No, Daddy, it's a rabbit, don't you see it?"
I did, and I can no longer see the man gestalt, it's a rabbit.
Miraculous transformation.
The rabbit in the moon is common to many Asian mythologies, as well as Aztec. Your daughter is on to something!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe author states:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"All that mass on the far side is pretty attractive, gravitationally speaking. So it would seem to make more sense if the far side of the moon had been the one pulled in our direction."
However, the topographical features of the Moon's surface are not a valid measure of mass. As I understand, several concentrations of heavy elements (like iron) have been detected deep underground on the near side of the moon, explaining its gravitational bias.
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Hi, I am helen
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