Why is there more craters on the far side of the moon?

The far side has more visible craters. This was thought to be a result of the effects of lunar lava flows, which cover and obscure craters, rather than a shielding effect from the Earth. NASA calculates that the Earth obscures only about 4 square degrees out of 41,000 square degrees of the sky as seen from the Moon.

Which region of the moon has more craters?

Both the Maria and the Highlands exhibit large craters that are the result of meteor impacts. There are many more such impact craters in the Highlands.

What is the difference between the near and far side of the moon?

Earth’s Moon has a ‘near side’ that is perpetually Earth-facing and a ‘far side’, which always faces away from Earth. Scientists believe the two formed when a Mars-sized body collided with the proto-Earth. Earth ended up being the larger daughter of this collision and retained enough heat to become tectonically active.

What do we know about the far side of the moon?

The moon’s mysterious far side is so much different than its near side, which we see in the night sky, and now scientists think they know why. In fact, observations have shown that only about 1% of the moon’s far side is covered with maria, or craters caused by volcanic activity on the moon.

How many craters are on the near side of the moon?

All 662 craters are discussed from a geological perspective and the features to look for, along with suggested times in when best to view them. Most importantly, every crater, and sub-crater, has the latest official size, latitude and longitude coordinates as laid down by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Why can’t we see the far side of the moon?

As the Earth is much larger than the Moon, the Moon’s rotation is slowed down until it reaches a balance point. As this NASA animation shows (right), this means that the same portion of the Moon always faces towards the Earth, and we can never see the far side.

How many moon craters are there?

Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth’s Moon. The Moon’s surface has many craters, all of which were formed by impacts. The International Astronomical Union currently recognizes 9,137 craters, of which 1,675 have been dated.

Does the moon have craters on all sides?

Scientists have long understood that craters form at an even rate on the surfaces of both sides of the moon, but new work reports that ancient asteroid impacts on the near side of the moon produced larger basins than those on the far side.

How do the near and far sides of the moon compare quizlet?

The near side of the moon has more maria than the far side. 2. What is the difference between the far side of the moon and the dark side of the moon? The far side is the side away from the earth, and the dark side is the side in shadow opposite from the sun.

Why don’t we see the far side of the moon?

What was surprising about the far side of the moon?

When the first images of the far side of the moon emerged decades ago, scientists realized that it has almost no “maria,” or dark regions (from the Latin for sea). Only 1 percent of the far side was covered with maria compared to about 31 percent of the near side, researchers explained.

How long till we lose the Moon?

Calculations of the evolution of the Earth/Moon system tell us that with this rate of separation that in about 15 billion years the Moon will stop moving away from the Earth.

Why are there fewer craters on the far side of the Moon than on the near side?

“This makes the Earth negligible as a shield for the Moon [and] it is likely that each side of the Moon has received equal numbers of impacts, but the resurfacing by lava results in fewer craters visible on the near side than the far side, even though both sides have received the same number of impacts.”

How big are the craters on the Moon?

However, some craters on the earth-facing side are significantly larger than those on the far side of the moon. For example, the front of the moon has eight craters with a diameter of more than 320 kilometers, while the back has only one of this size.

Why do we only see one side of the Moon?

The moon rotates on its own axis about as fast as it orbits the earth. As a result, we only see one side of the moon from Earth. Most of the other side is never visible from the Earth. It is therefore called the “dark side of the Moon”. Current measurements show that the moon has approximately the same number of impact craters on both sides.

Is the Moon the same size as the Earth?

Current measurements show that the moon has approximately the same number of impact craters on both sides. However, some craters on the earth-facing side are significantly larger than those on the far side of the moon.