Does the Moon Rotate?

[hevnsnt]

Just wondering if the moon rotates on an axis like the earth does? It is really stressing me out because I was never told either way.. It seems I aways see the same side of the moon.

 

[loup garou]

Yes, it rotates, but it takes the same amount of time to rotate as it does to make its orbit around the earth, so you always see the same side.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: werk
Yes, it rotates, but it takes the same amount of time to rotate as it does to make its orbit around the earth, so you always see the same side.

Yep

 

[ThePresence]

Does the Moon Rotate?

Link

 

[Azraele]

As far as I know, yes. All heavenly bodies rotate on an axis.

 

[Ryan]

http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/luna.html

 

[Pepsei]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: werk
Yes, it rotates, but it takes the same amount of time to rotate as it does to make its orbit around the earth, so you always see the same side.

Yep

YES... i remember we sent something up there to map the otherside of the moon.

since we'd never see the other side, that's the best place for aliens to hide .. ha ha ..er.. hmmmmm

 

[Analog]

Originally posted by: werk
Yes, it rotates, but it takes the same amount of time to rotate as it does to make its orbit around the earth, so you always see the same side.

xactly

 

[Ryan]

We only need 3 more people to reply with a "Yes" statement and then this thread can become ***OFFICIAL***.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
We only need 3 more people to reply with a "Yes" statement and then this thread can become ***OFFICIAL***.

in that case, YES

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: werk
Yes, it rotates, but it takes the same amount of time to rotate as it does to make its orbit around the earth, so you always see the same side.

yep, errr i mean yes!

 

[guyver01]

The moon rotates completely on its axis (an imaginary line through its north and south poles) only once during each trip around the earth. The moon rotates from west to east, the same direction that it travels around the earth. At its equator, the moon rotates at a speed of about 10 miles (16 kilometers) per hour. When you look up at the moon, you always see the same side. The moon is held in this position by gravitational forces. We know that the moon is rotating because we can see only one side of it. If the moon did not rotate, we would be able to see its entire surface.

 

[KC5AV]

Ooh ooh ohh... do I get to make it ***Official***? YES!!!

 

[Howard]

*** CONFIRMED ***

 

[Squisher]

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon<-----they should know

 

[Serp86]

on it's axis: 1 rotation per 27 days
around the earth: 1 rotation per 27 days

so the dark side of the moon song is derived from cosmology.

my physics teacher mentioned it a year ago ( i am 16yrs old and a year ago i was sitting for ordinary level exams). Never gave a heck until now

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Some crazy yahoo that I used to know kept telling me that Satan was building an army and that they were all on the back of the moon and that when we sent the Saturn rockets up, we found silicon buildings on the back face of the moon.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Are there any celestial bodies that don't rotate?

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: Serp86
on it's axis: 1 rotation per 27 days
around the earth: 1 rotation per 27 days

hmm that can't be coincidence.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: PipBoy

Originally posted by: Serp86
on it's axis: 1 rotation per 27 days
around the earth: 1 rotation per 27 days

hmm that can't be coincidence.

Exactly. It's an awfully strange coincidence.

 

[ndee]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt
Some crazy yahoo that I used to know kept telling me that Satan was building an army and that they were all on the back of the moon and that when we sent the Saturn rockets up, we found silicon buildings on the back face of the moon.

lmao, cool friends you got there

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Jellomancer

Originally posted by: PipBoy

Originally posted by: Serp86
on it's axis: 1 rotation per 27 days
around the earth: 1 rotation per 27 days

hmm that can't be coincidence.

Exactly. It's an awfully strange coincidence.

Not really. There is some mechanism that makes it happen that way IIRC. With the exception of one moon in the solar system, all moons rotate in the same direction in which they revolve. I'm pretty sure I've seen data saying that many of them have the same orbital and rotation periods as well.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: ThePresence

Does the Moon Rotate?

Link

Nice diagram and explanation on the linked page. I used to know the answer to this, memory's starting to go

 

[GroundZero]

of course it does, or it wouldn't have any gravity at all

 

[Orsorum]

It's not OFFICIAL yet...