Tidal forces from Earth have slowed down the Moon's rotation so that the same side is always facing the Earth, a phenomenon called tidal locking. The other face, most of which is never visible from the Earth, is therefore called the "far side of the Moon". You may say "tidal forces"? What are "tidal forces"? The Earth is much bigger than the moon and exerts a gravitational force upon it. This force comes from all directions as the moon revolves around the Earth. As the moon revolves around the Earth the action of revolving is greater than the the gravitational force, and on the opposite side the gravity is stronger than the rotational force...in other words the moon is being "sling shot" around the Earth. This effect causes tides to rise and fall on the Earth. Haven't you seen a low tide and a high tide at the ocean before? That's because the moon and Earth are kind of having a tug of war, a battle of forces. Wait and watch the above pictures as they show how this road in the United Kingdom is easy to drive on during low tide, but once high tide comes in...well, it looks dangerous! The Sun plays a big factor in this tug of war too! The Sun is biggest of all, taking up 99% of most of all mass in our Solar System. The Sun exerts a force on the moon and the Earth! We see the effects of this massive stretching of forces as we watch the Earth's oceans slosh back and forth across the globe, every month in a predictable manner just like the moon phases. So what does all this have to do with the dark side or far side of the moon? Tidal forces from Earth have slowed down the Moon's rotation so that the same side is always facing the Earth. Well that's HUGE! The backside of the moon, the side we never see is really scarred with lots of craters from meteors peppering it from behind. With new technology we can see the far side of the moon and study what it looks like. This helps scientists understand the history of the moon-Earth-Sun relationship even more. The rotation of the moon is similar to the Earth and the Sun. All of these objects revolve and rotate in a counterclockwise manner. I think I'll talk about that on another day....
6 Comments
Errol
9/11/2017 03:22:28 pm
Wow! I am super excited about doing the lab tomorrow!!!!
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Elayna
9/11/2017 04:03:58 pm
Me too. Sounds cool!
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Sadie
9/11/2017 05:32:57 pm
Hello every one!!!
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luke
9/11/2017 06:26:05 pm
so the tides are because a "tug of war" between the earth and moon. Interesting
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roman
9/11/2017 08:59:07 pm
hi my name is roman!
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Allysa Bullock
9/11/2017 09:35:31 pm
I love how you used tug of war to describe the high tides and low tides!!:):):)
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |