NASA video shows our Moon in 'rotation'

[Hum]

For over four years now, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been circling the Moon, giving us an unprecedented look at one of the most familiar objects in the sky.

Along with the incredible amount of measurements and scientific data the satellite has been sending back to scientists here on Earth, LRO has also been taking pictures of the entire lunar surface. NASA recently stitched all those images together, and created a video that gives us a look at something we've never seen before ? the rotating moon:
 

 

The moon really does rotate, even though it doesn't look like it from here. Because the moon is 'tidally locked' to the Earth, that means that it always has one face pointed towards us. However, it also means that the time it takes to rotate once is the same as the time it takes to go around the Earth ? 27 days.

 

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[Dot Matrix]

Damn, no alien moon bases on the "dark" side? :(

[fusi0n]

i never get to see no moon base

[Hum]

^ My friends hide them underground. ;)

 

Oh, and NASA airbrushes out alien craft

[neufuse Veteran]

what are those really bright / reflective spots you see in the dark regions? they kinda stand out like a sore thumb

[Dot Matrix]

what are those really bright / reflective spots you see in the dark regions? they kinda stand out like a sore thumb

 

Bleu cheese. :shiftyninja:

[Forjo]

Geeze!  Enough with the Lumia 1020 videos!

 

-Forjo

[Hum]

what are those really bright / reflective spots you see in the dark regions? they kinda stand out like a sore thumb

[neufuse Veteran]

Bleu cheese. :shiftyninja:

well at least it's not munster..

[DocM]

Prefer ultra-super sharp white cheddar, the kind that bites back.

[Growled Member]

For all we know, we may have bases up there. The government doesn't reveal all of it's secrets.

[+Xinok Subscriber²]

It makes me ponder, much of the history of humanity is based on the fact that the same side of the moon is always facing us. From our perspective, if we could simply observe the moon rotating, things would be very different today.

[Arachno 1D]

Its a Government hoax in reality the rear of the Moon is inverted [concave] so from Earth its like looking at the bottom of a bowl  :woot:  :woot:  :rolleyes: 

[Growled Member]

Its a Government hoax in reality the rear of the Moon is inverted [concave] so from Earth its like looking at the bottom of a bowl  :woot:  :woot:  :rolleyes:

 

Can you explain the physics of that? :P :D

[Dot Matrix]

For all we know, we may have bases up there. The government doesn't reveal all of it's secrets.

Maybe, but it's not really possible when most space missions aren't really kept secret. Anyone with the right equipment can scan and track satellites, which would give away the secret.

[Arachno 1D]

Can you explain the physics of that? :p :D

 

 

[Xerino]

Wheres the "Lunamax Prison" for highly dangerous time traveling aliens?

[Hum]

For all we know, we may have bases up there. The government doesn't reveal all of it's secrets.

Quite true -- along with a working fusion reactor.