The moon goes through many phases, but in all that, just one side of it is visible from Earth, leading many to wonder about the other side.
Wonder no more as NASA has released an animation of the moon's other side, created by the agency's Scientific Visualization Studio.
In the video, the far side is shown as going through a complete cycle of the phases, much like what the side visible from Earth, the near side, would look like. However, the far side or the dark side of the moon differs from the near side in terms of terrain, lacking the big dark spots known as maria, which give the moon the appearance of the "Man in the Moon."
Instead, the dark side of the moon features craters of varying sizes, crowding together in various spots. This side of the moon is also home to the South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the oldest and biggest impact features found within the solar system. In the animation, the basin looks like a slightly darker bruise that has covered the bottom third of the side.
People on Earth first got a look at the dark side of the moon through some grainy images brought back by the probe Soviet Luna 3, which went around the moon in 1959. Today, a closer look at the dark side is possible because of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which went into space some 50 years after the probe.
Since the LRO has been in space, it has sent back hundreds of terabytes of data, allowing scientists to map out in great detail and accuracy the dark side of the moon. The LRO's data was also instrumental in the creation of the animation.
The LRO launched in 2009 alongside the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite atop an Atlas V rocket. In its first years, the orbiter stayed within the moon's low polar orbit to collect detailed information about the environment in the area.
After this three-year stint, the LRO moved on to a stable elliptical orbit, which had it passing low over the moon's south pole. The orbiter is able to collect as much data as possible, thanks to the suite of instruments it is fitted with.
The LRO was originally scheduled to carry out just a year-long exploration mission. Proving highly successful, its stay in space was extended to accomplish a number of scientific objectives.
