Question: what is behind the moon

Kevin Motherway answered on 10 Nov 2014:

Just Space. The moon rotates just like the Earth but its in sync with our rotation so we only see the Near Side. The side facing us is characteristed by light coloured uplands and mountains composed of a light coloured rock made mostly of a light mineral called anorthosite. The darker lunar Maria (once though to be seas, hence the name) are where the crust of the moon has been so bombarded by asteroids that the crust cracked and huge volumes of dense and dark coloured basalt erupted and flooded vast areas. The “dark side” or side we don’t see from Earth has been mapped and surveyed by satellites as well as all the stunning photographs from the Apollo missions; it’s got a lot more craters but curiously no real Maria. The “dark side” is not dark at all, the whole moon experiences day and night just like the earth does, but a lunar day is 27 earth days and that’s why we have phases of the moon. Full moon? You’re looking at daytime on the Near Side. No Moon? You’re looking at night-time on the Near Side.

Beyond the far side of the moon there’s just Space. Lots and lots of empty space. When you’re behind the far side you’re in its shadow and there’s no radio communications or view of the Earth. The Command Module Pilots on the Apollo missions were called “loneliest people in the universe” on missions, for example while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the surface on the “near side”, Mike Collins was the only human being on the far side of the moon with 6 Billion people (+2 of his crewmates) on the other side.

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