Lunar Farside from Apollo 11. The far side of the Moon is rough and filled with craters. By comparison, the near side of the Moon (the side we always see) is relatively smooth. The large crater is Daedalus. It spans about 93 kilometers (58 miles) and was photographed by the crew of Apollo 11 as they circled the Moon in 1969. NASA Photo, reference AS11-44-6611. Note that the diameter given on the web reference below (30 km) is wrong. CREDIT: Apollo 11 Crew, NASA . SOURCE: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030312.html COPYRIGHT: “NASA images generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, video and audio material for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits and Internet Web pages.”

PREPARED BY Scott Sandlin in March 2004.

It is interesting that the far side of Moon is rougher and has more craters. But, if you think about it, it makes sense. The period for rotation around its own axis and around Earth is almost identical for Moon. That is why we never see the far side of Moon from Earth. The near side of the moon is always facing the earth and hence shielded from asteroids.

The photo and information about it is taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This is a great online resource. Check it out if you haven’t heard about it already.

[Listening to: Eclipse - Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon]