Chandrayaan-3 | ISRO releases images of the far side area of the moon

Source: The post is based on the article “Chandrayaan-3 | ISRO releases images of the far side area of the moon”  published in The Hindu on 22nd August 2023.

What is the News?

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released images of the far side of the Moon.

The images were captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC) which is onboard the Chandrayaan-3 Lander.

What is the Far Side of the Moon?

The far side is also known as the dark side area of the moon as it is always hidden from the earth. 

Why is it called Far Side of the Moon?

Over billions of years, Earth’s gravitational pull has brought the Moon’s spin into sync with its orbit. 

It takes exactly 28 days for the Moon to complete one rotation, and the same time to make one orbit around Earth. This leads to a phenomenon called “tidal locking”. 

With the Moon’s rotation and orbit keeping it forever in step with the Earth, only one part of it is visible from Earth at any time. The unseen part is called “far side of the Moon” also known as the dark side area of the moon. 

Note: The term “dark side” can be misleading because it doesn’t necessarily mean that this side is always in darkness. It experiences day and night like the near side but is not visible to us from Earth. 

What is the significance of Far Side of the Moon?

Because the far side of the Moon is shielded from radio transmissions from the Earth, it is considered a good location for placing radio telescopes for use by astronomers.