Orbit of the Moon the Moon varies as it orbits Earth and hence is not always equal to the Moon's rotational velocity. When the Moon is at its perigee, its rotation is slower than its orbital motion, and this allows us to see up to eight degrees of longitude of its eastern (right) far side. Conversely, when the Moon reaches its apogee, its rotation is faster than its orbital motion and this reveals eight degrees of longitude of its western (left) far side. This is referred to as "longitudinal libration". Because the lunar orbit is also inclined to Earth's ecliptic plane by 5.1°, the
From the Earth to the Moon (film) From the Earth to the Moon (film) From the Earth to the Moon is a 1958 American Technicolor science fiction film, produced by Benedict Bogeaus, directed by Byron Haskin, that stars Joseph Cotten, George Sanders, and Debra Paget. Production of the film originated at RKO Pictures, but when RKO went into bankruptcy, the film was acquired and released by Warner Brothers. "From the Earth to the Moon" is the only film adaptation of the Jules Verne science fiction novel of the same name. Shortly after the end of the American Civil War, munitions producer Victor Barbicane (Joseph Cotten) announces that