Lunar Near and Far Side Phases

Released Tuesday, March 24, 2026

ID: 14992

- Visualizations by:
- Dan Gallagher

As the Moon orbits the Earth, sunlight and shadow sweep across its surface in a 29.5-day cycle that waxes from new Moon to full Moon and back again. From Earth, we can watch the Moon’s phases play out across its familiar near side. Because half of the Moon is always illuminated, the far side also goes through phases beyond our line of sight. During a full Moon, the near side is in full sunlight while the far side is in full shadow – and vice versa during a new Moon. The animations below illustrate this concept.

Depending on their launch date, the crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission may become the first humans to see regions of the lunar far side, like Mare Orientale, in sunlight.

HORIZONTAL VERSIONS

ARTIST’S CONCEPT 1 – Animation of the Moon’s near side in a waning gibbous phase and its far side in the opposite phase (waxing crescent).

ARTIST’S CONCEPT 2 – Animation of the Moon’s near side in a waxing gibbous phase and its far side in the opposite phase (waning crescent).

VERTICAL VERSIONS

ARTIST’S CONCEPT 1 – Vertical animation of the Moon’s near side in a waning gibbous phase and its far side in the opposite phase (waxing crescent).

ARTIST’S CONCEPT 2 – Vertical animation of the Moon’s near side in a waxing gibbous phase and its far side in the opposite phase (waning crescent).

STILL IMAGES

The darkened lunar far side and Earth appear as waxing crescents, seen by a distant observer, shortly after a full Moon. The Milky Way appears as a diagonal, brightened band across the sky. Its satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, appears at upper right.

ARTIST’S CONCEPT 1 – The darkened lunar far side and Earth appear as waxing crescents, seen by a distant observer, shortly after a full Moon. The Milky Way appears as a diagonal, brightened band across the sky. Its satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, appears at upper right.

Credit: NASA/Goddard/Dan Gallagher

ARTIST’S CONCEPT 2 – The darkened lunar far side and Earth appear as waxing crescents, seen by a distant observer, shortly after a full Moon.

Credit: NASA/Goddard/Dan Gallagher

ARTIST’S CONCEPT 3 – The darkened lunar far side and Earth appear as waning crescents, seen by a distant observer, shortly before a full Moon.

Credit: NASA/Goddard/Dan Gallagher

ARTIST’S CONCEPT 4 – The darkened lunar far side and Earth appear as waxing crescents, seen by a distant observer, shortly after a full Moon. The Milky Way appears as a diagonal, brightened band across the sky. Its satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, appears at lower right.

Credit: NASA/Goddard/Dan Gallagher