[Verginius Rufus]

The moon gets its light (mostly) from the sun ("earthshine" is sunlight which reaches the moon after bouncing off the earth). So any place on the moon is in sunlight about half the time and dark half the time.

The far side of the moon is permanently turned away from the earth, but because of "librations" (not libations) about 59% of the moon's surface can be seen from the earth at one time or another.

I remember my father telling me, when I was in grade school, that no one had ever seen the far side of the moon. Not too long after that the Soviets sent a satellite which managed to take photographs of the far side of the moon. (My mother refused to believe that the photos were genuine.)

[Rodm]

Gummy Bears !!

[Rodm]

Gummy Bears !!

[DannyTN]

Here's to good librations.

[farming pharmer]

The moon's movement is hard (at least for me) to envision without an illustration:



The true movement is on the left side of the picture. Now I get it!