Why Do We Only See One Side of the Moon?

[00:00:00]Did you know you've never seen half of the moon? Look at the moon [music] tonight. No matter where you are on Earth, you'll always see the same side.

[00:00:06]But why? Is the moon hiding something?

[00:00:08]Not exactly. Billions of years ago, [music] Earth's gravity slowly changed the moon's rotation. Over time, the moon started spinning [music] at the exact same speed it travels around Earth.

[00:00:17]That means every time the moon completes one orbit around our planet, >> [music] >> it also completes one full rotation.

[00:00:23]So, while the moon moves around Earth, it turns perfectly to keep the same face pointed at us. Scientists call this tidal [music] locking.

[00:00:30]And here's something most people get wrong. The far side of the moon isn't always dark. It gets just as much sunlight as the side we see. We simply can't see it from [music] Earth. So, right now, there's an entire side of the moon you've never seen with your own eyes.