Far Side of the Moon
Explanation:
Locked in synchronous rotation,
the Moon always presents its
well-known near side to Earth.
But from lunar orbit,
Apollo astronauts also grew to
know the Moon's far side.
This sharp picture from Apollo 16's mapping camera shows the eastern edge
of the familiar near side (left) and the strange
and heavily cratered far side
of the Moon.
Surprisingly,
the rough and battered surface of the far side looks very different from
the near side which is covered with
smooth dark lunar maria.
The likely explanation is that the far side crust is thicker, making
it harder for molten material from the interior to flow to
the surface and form the smooth maria.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
