Cool Moon Facts by Whip

Real astronomy, with sources. Folklore & tradition.

Fact #004 Phases & orbit

The Moon does rotate, exactly once per orbit. That's why we only ever see one face.

Tidal friction over billions of years matched the Moon's spin to its orbit, a state called tidal locking. It isn't perfect: the orbit is elliptical and slightly tilted, so the Moon appears to nod and rock. That wobble, called libration, lets us see about 59% of the surface over time instead of 50%.

Source: NASA Moon overview (opens in a new tab) · checked Aug 2026

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