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The moon orbits the earth in such a way that the same side of the moon is facing towards the earth at all times. A fancy way of describing this is that the moon rotates once when it orbits the earth once.

Rocks returned from the Apollo lunar landings are made of the same material as the rocks on earth. Scientists now believethat the moon was created when another object slammed into the earth back when the earth was still very hot and had a much thinner crust. The moon is a combination of the earth at that timeand the object that hit us. That is why the moon rotates once with evey revolution.

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Q: Why does one rotation of the moon equal one orbit of the moon?
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Related questions

How many days on earth are equal to one day on the moon?

One day on the moon is equal to approximately 29.5 Earth days. This is because it takes the moon about 29.5 days to complete one full rotation on its axis, which is the same amount of time it takes to complete one orbit around the Earth.


How many days does it take for the moon to do a complete rotation?

It takes about 27.3 days for the moon to complete one full rotation on its axis. This is the same amount of time it takes for the moon to complete one orbit around Earth.


What is the one rotation on the Moon's axis?

The Moon rotates on its axis once every 27.3 days, which is the same amount of time it takes to complete one orbit around the Earth. This means that the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth.


How does the moon rotate to keep one face pointed toward the earth?

The moon's rotation has become synchronized with its orbit. During one orbit it makes one full revolution. The moon almost certainly had a day and night at one time, a billion or more years ago. Over time, tidal forces reduced the moon's rotation until it slowed enough to keep one face to earth at all times.


How does the Moon's rate of rotation about its own axis compare with its rate of revolution around Earth?

This has to do with the different orbital planets of Earth and the Moon. Earth revolves around the Sun in flat planar orbit. The Moon similarly revolves about Earth in flat planar orbit. But the planets are slightly tipped with respect to each other - a 5.2* tilt The moons rotation on its axis is equal to its orbit round the Earth with respect to the sun and stars. It presents one side permanently to the Earth so in relation to the earth it does not rotate.


Does the moon orbit around itself?

The moon rotates around its own axis, but revolves around the earth. The moon completes one rotation with each revolution around the earth, so one day on the moon (sunrise to sunrise) is equal to one month on earth. This coincidence is the reason only one side of the moon is always facing the earth.


How many times does the moon rotate on its axis before it fully orbits around the earth?

During one trip around the Earth, the moon rotates one time, because its rotation and revolution are about the same. That is why we only see one side of the moon (the near side) and never the far side.


The moon requires for one rotation on its axis?

The moon rotates on its axis once every 27.3 days, which is also the same amount of time it takes for the moon to orbit the Earth. This synchronous rotation means we always see the same side of the moon from Earth.


How much time is one complete rotation of the moon?

One complete rotation of the Moon on its axis takes about 27.3 days, which is the same amount of time it takes to complete one orbit around the Earth. This is why we always see the same face of the Moon from Earth.


How long deos it take for the moon to orbit the earth?

The moon completes one orbital revolution around the earth in 27.32 days. The moon also completes one rotation on its axis in exactly the same time.


What State is at which the moon orbital and rotational periods are equal?

A state of `synchronous rotation`. Its where the rotational period of the moon is equal to orbital rotation period about Earth, one face of the moon will always appear to face earth. In our moons case this is due to tidal locking.


Why wont you ever see the back of the moon?

The moon's rotation is synchronized with its orbit around Earth, causing the same side to always face us. This is known as synchronous rotation. As a result, we can never see the "back" side of the moon from Earth.