Oct 4, 2017 · Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates. Moon Phases Between four and seven times a year, Earth, Moon and Sun line up just right to create the cosmic-scale shadow show known as an eclipse.

NASA's interactive map for observing the Moon each day of the year.

Jan 13, 2025 · When a month is compressed into 24 seconds, as it is in this animation, our changing view of the Moon makes it look like it's wobbling. This wobble is called libration, from libra, the scale. Supplemental graphics show the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale.

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May 2, 2022 · A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra.

This map depicts the Moon as it appeared on International Observe the Moon Night, September 14, 2024, at 8:00 PM EDT (00:00 UTC September 15). At this phase, many of the best views occur along the terminator (the line between the day and night side of the Moon) where shadows accentuate lunar topography.

Jul 31, 2024 · Each map includes sections dedicated to lunar landforms, lunar maria (seas of basalt), and human landing sites. Many of the best views will occur along the terminator (the line between the day and night side of the Moon).

Dec 2, 2022 · While it's true that the Moon keeps the same face to us, this only happens because the Moon rotates at the same rate as its orbital motion, a special case of tidal locking called synchronous rotation. The animation shows both the orbit and the rotation of the Moon.

Dec 22, 2023 · This visualization shows the Moon's phase at hourly intervals throughout 2024, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. 2024 phase and libration as viewed from the Southern Hemisphere are available here: Phase and Libration 2024 (Southern Hemisphere View) The Moon always keeps the same face to us, but not exactly the same face. Because of the ...

Oct 1, 2022 · A view of the Moon's largest impact feature, the South Pole–Aitken basin, based on images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The Moon's Largest Basin Now you can have all the dates and times for all the Moon phases for the year at your fingertips.