Cool Moon Facts by Whip

Real astronomy, with sources. Folklore & tradition.

Fact #005 Phases & orbit

There is no dark side of the Moon. There's a far side, and at new moon it's the one in full daylight.

Every part of the Moon gets two weeks of sunlight and two weeks of night. At new moon the near side faces us in darkness while the far side is in full day. The far side is 'dark' only in the sense of unseen. Nobody laid eyes on it until Luna 3 sent back photographs in 1959.

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

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