Home / Science / Moon's 'Dark Side' Is Bright: The Truth Revealed
Moon's 'Dark Side' Is Bright: The Truth Revealed
7 Apr
Summary
- The moon's far side is brightly lit by the sun, not dark.
- China's Chang'e 4 made the first intact landing on the far side in 2019.
- Artemis II will add four more individuals to the 28 who've seen the far side.
While popularly known as the "dark side," the moon's unseen face is scientifically referred to as the "far side." This area is bathed in sunlight, contrary to the common perception of perpetual darkness.
Soviet and NASA probes began mapping the far side's cratered surface in the late 1950s. A significant milestone was China's Chang'e 4 mission in 2019, which successfully completed the first intact landing on this lunar region.
Direct human observation of the far side began with NASA's Apollo 8 mission in 1968. To date, 24 American astronauts have directly viewed it. The Artemis II mission is set to expand this number, with four more individuals, including the first Canadian, Jeremy Hansen, expected to witness it soon, bringing the total to 28.
Future missions by NASA's Artemis program and planned crewed orbits by China suggest that the number of humans who have seen the far side will soon surpass 30.
