Explanation:
No one, presently, sees the Moon rotate like this.
That's because the Earth's moon is tidally locked to the Earth, showing us
only one side.
Given modern digital technology, however, combined with many detailed images returned
by the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a high
resolution virtual
Moon rotation movie has now been composed.
The
above time-lapse video
starts with the standard Earth
view of the Moon.
Quickly, though,
Mare Orientale, a large crater with a dark center
that is difficult to see from the Earth, rotates into view just below the equator.
From an entire
lunar month condensed into 24 seconds,
the video clearly shows that the Earth side of the Moon contains an abundance of
dark lunar maria,
while the lunar far side is dominated by bright
lunar highlands.
Two
new missions are scheduled to begin exploring the Moon within the year,
the first of which is NASA's
Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE).
LADEE, which
launched just over a week ago,
is scheduled to begin orbiting the Moon in October
and will explore the thin and unusual
atmosphere of the Moon.
In a few months, the
Chinese
Chang'e 3 is scheduled to
launch,
a mission that includes a soft lander that will dispatch a robotic rover.
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.
