Lesson 11 of 12 · Space
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🚀 StarbaseWhy We Always See the Same Face of the Moon
Why We Always See the Same Face of the Moon.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
Gravity is invisible — but it shapes everything.
Mind = Blown
🌌 If you could drive a car straight up at highway speed, you'd reach space in under an hour.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you check: which is closer?
What You'll Learn
The Moon rotates once per orbit, so the same hemisphere always faces Earth — tidal locking. There is no permanently dark side: the far side gets just as much sunlight, we simply never see it from here.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- open floor space
Safety First
- Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.
Steps
Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.
Walk one full circle around a partner who stays still, keeping your face towards them the whole time. Notice that you also turned once. Then repeat without turning, and describe what they saw.
Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.
Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2The same lunar face points at Earth because the Moon:
Where you see this in real life
Every sunrise and every shadow is this idea in action.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Look at the moon tonight. Notice its shape. Look again in 3 days.
For the dinner table
“If you could visit any planet, which would you pick and why?”
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Ready?
Why We Always See the Same Face of the Moon
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
Full screen — no distractions
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