NASA Shows Off Moon Phases From The Far Side

Growing up we always called the far side of the moon the dark side of the moon. We had this mental image of that side of the moon being perpetually in the dark, but that isn't true. The sun shines its light on the far side of the moon as well, but we don't ever get to see that side of the moon from Earth. NASA has some very cool moon phases and libration videos that show the moon from the view we have here on Earth.

Many folks wanted to know what the moon phases would look like from the far side of the moon, and NASA obliged. NASA notes that the far side of the moon goes through a complete cycle of phases just as the side we see does. However, the terrain of the far side of the moon is very different from the face we see.

There are none of the large dark spots that make up what we call "The Man in the Moon" (scientifically known as maria) on the far side. The far side of the moon is packed with craters crowded to get over the entire surface.

NASA was able to create the far side of the moon phases videos using data gathered from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to create the detailed an accurate maps. Check out the NASA video below to see for yourself.

SOURCE: NASA