Ruth Huffy age 12 Forest, Miss.
Why cant we see the other side of the moon?
Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon, Dell, at any rate, Lunik III., weighing as much as a cow, went around the moon making noises like a fiddle. And the name old face of the moon looked down on us without batting an eye. The same face, the same side of the moon has been string at the earth for untold tales.
We do not see the other side of the moon because its rotation equals its revolution ‑ but before we can make sense of that statements we must find out the meaning of some fancy words. The moon, like the earth rotates on its axis once every day and night. The rotation of the earth spins it completely around onto in 24 hours. The rotation of the moon spins it around once every 27 1/3 earth days. Day on the moon lasts almost two earth weeks and so does the lunar night.
The earth revolves in an orbit around the sun once in about 365 days. The moon revolves in an orbit around the earth once every 27 1/3 earth days. Hence its revolution equals its rotation. Now lefts see why this fact keep the same side facing the earth and prevents us from seeing the other side of the moon. We can demonstrate this with a small experiment. All you need is a chair which you can stand in the middle; of the room. The chair will play the role. of the Earth and you will relay the role of the moon orbiting the earth. The real moon bowls around its orbit a little faster than ha1f a mile a second, but you will walk a much slower circle around the chair.
Stand a few feet from the chair, facing it, and notice which wall you are; facing. Now start to revolve, or move in a circle around the chair. But, since you must remain with your face towards the chair: you will have to make your orbit like a crab, walking sideways.
Stop when you are a quarter way around your orbit and notice that you are now facing a different wall, Your body has made a quarter turn as you were making a quarter trip around your orbit. Stop again at the half and three quarter marls around your orbit and you will see that your body is turnings or revolving, as you rotate around the chair.
When you get back to where you started you will have made a complete revolution around the chair and complete rotation around your axis.
At no time was the back of your head facing towards the chair, The other side of the moon corresponds to the back of your head, On a very grand scale, the orbiting moon corresponds to your orbit around the chair. The moon’s orbit is almost half a million miles wide and, though its orbital speed varies somewhat, it never travels slower than 1000 miles an hour. The cow, or Lunik who jumps . over the moon must take all these facts and figures into consideration.