Earthlings will never see the far side of the Moon due to tidal forces, speak Life.ru lead researcher at the Institute of Space Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences Nathan Eismont. According to him, billions of years ago the Moon rotated faster, but tidal forces gradually slowed its rotation until it caught up with its orbital motion around the Earth.
This process, the scientist explains, involves minimizing energy – this is how the laws of physics work. A similar situation is observed for the satellites of other planets: the Galilean satellites of Jupiter and both satellites of Mars (Phobos and Deimos) also face the same side as their planets.
The Moon itself was formed about 4.5 billion years ago following the collision of Earth with a large cosmic body the size of Mars. The debris entered orbit and eventually formed a satellite.
The surface of the far side of the Moon is different from the visible surface – there are many huge craters, traces of “heavy bombardment” by asteroids. They can only be seen with the help of spacecraft; Ground-based telescopes do not allow them.
According to Eismont, it is these craters that give hope for the discovery of water on the Moon. In the polar regions, where the sun's rays do not reach, water can be conserved, while the rest of the surface evaporates. Currently, the scientist concludes, researchers are actively pursuing these issues.
