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Far side of the Moon
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Far side of the Moon
The Moon, showing part of its far side, photographed from the Apollo 16 spacecraft after its landing on the Moon in April 1972. The dark patches at upper left are some of the lunar seas (maria) which are characteristic of the face it presents to Earth. The heavily-cratered region at right is on the far side of the Moon, which is never seen from Earth. The Moon always presents the same face to Earth, as it rotates on its axis in the same time that it orbits around Earth. Such gravitational locking of an orbit is common amongst satellites
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Media ID 6425823
© NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
1972 Apollo 16 Cosmology Crater Cratered Craters Lunar Manned Maria Moon Planetary Seas Space Flight Mono Chrome
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This print captures the enigmatic far side of the Moon, a sight rarely seen by human eyes. Taken from the Apollo 16 spacecraft during its historic landing in April 1972, this image showcases the stark contrast between two distinct lunar landscapes. At the upper left corner, we are greeted by dark patches known as lunar seas or maria. These vast plains are characteristic of the face that our beloved satellite presents to Earth. They stand as a testament to ancient volcanic activity and provide an intriguing glimpse into the Moon's geological history. In stark contrast, on the right side of this monochrome photograph lies a heavily-cratered region that is forever hidden from our view on Earth. This mysterious landscape represents the far side of our celestial neighbor – a realm untouched by human exploration until that groundbreaking mission. The Moon's peculiar behavior is revealed through this image: it perpetually shows us only one face due to gravitational locking with Earth. As it rotates on its axis at precisely the same rate as it orbits around our planet, we remain forever unaware of what lies beyond its familiar facade. Transporting us back to an era when manned space missions were pushing boundaries and expanding horizons, this extraordinary print serves as a reminder of humanity's insatiable curiosity about worlds beyond our own.
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