From The Old Farmer's Almanac: Sign up to receive a FREE guide (A $9.95 value!) plus updates from Almanac.com.
Print
EmailWe never see the far side of the Moon. Do you think it looks identical to the near side that we do see?
On October 4, 1959, Russia's Luna 3 was launched towards the Moon, where it later became the first vehicle to send back images of the Moon's far side.
Surprise! The distant hemisphere looked entirely different: Instead of dark lava spots, this side has many craters—scars received during its first few hundred million years of life.
The Dark Side?
There is no continually dark "side" of the Moon. Every part of the Moon has both day and night in half–month intervals.
.jpg "Save 10% off classic weather instruments!")
More Articles:
Comments
Ok I'm really lost now... Is
Ok I'm really lost now... Is this month a waxing or waning moon??? Someone please help.... Thanks I really enjoy this site always something to read and the books you can't put down....Cormac
cmccarthy47@cox.net
Hi Cormac, Thanks for
Hi Cormac, Thanks for commenting! The Moon goes through one whole cycle in about 30 days or so. Most months will have one Full moon, but some have two on occasion. Today is the Full Sturgeon Moon. Until it reaches Full, it is waxing (in other words, the portion of the Moon that you see is becoming larger.) After the Full moon, it is waning. Hope that helps! You can check out our Moon phase calendar page for more information, and a visual: http://www.almanac.com/moon/calendar/NH/Peterborough/2010-05
There are 2 full moons in
There are 2 full moons in December (2 and 31). Are each known as the Full Cold Moon? Is there a special name associated with the second full moon of a month?
A Blue Moon is the second
A Blue Moon is the second full Moon in a month with two full Moons. A Blue Moon will occur on average every two or three years. In December, we tend to call the first full Moon the "Full Cold Moon" and the second Moon the "Full Long Nights Moon," also a name used by Native American tribes. These names, and some variations, were used by the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior.
Are there names for the two
Are there names for the two upcoming full moons on August 31, 2012 and July 31, 2015?
Post new comment