Near side of the Moon Near side of the Moon The near side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that is permanently turned towards Earth, whereas the opposite side is the far side. Only one side of the Moon is visible from Earth because the Moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that the Moon orbits the Earth – a situation known as synchronous rotation, or tidal locking. The Moon is directly illuminated by the Sun, and the cyclically varying viewing conditions cause the lunar phases. Sometimes the dark portion of the Moon is faintly visible due to earthshine, which is indirect
Sun and Moon (Middle-earth) light of the Sun before it was tainted by Melkor when he ravished Arien. The name of Narsil, the sword of King Elendil (later reforged for Aragorn as Andúril), contains the elements "nar" and "thil," "fire" and "white light" respectively in Quenya, referring to the Sun and Moon. The Man in the Moon is even described in those writings, as being an old Elf who secretly hid on the island of the Moon, and built a minaret there. This is alluded to further in Tolkien's "Roverandom", in which the Man in the Moon also lives in a minaret. Combined with