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