From most places on the Moon’s near side, Earth would hang in roughly the same part of the sky instead of rising and setting every day. The famous Apollo 8 Earthrise photograph was taken by astronauts moving around the Moon in orbit. That moving viewpoint made Earth appear above the lunar horizon; it does not mean a person standing still on the lunar surface would see a normal daily Earthrise.
Why does Earth seem to stay in one place?
The Moon is tidally locked to Earth: one turn on its axis takes about as long as one trip around our planet. As the Moon travels, the same hemisphere stays oriented toward Earth. For an observer near the center of the Moon’s near side, Earth would remain high in the sky rather than tracing the familiar sunrise-and-sunset arc we see from Earth.
That doesn’t make the Moon motionless. It spins once each orbit, and the apparent position of Earth shifts somewhat because the Moon’s orbit is tilted and elliptical. Those shifts are called libration.
Why did Apollo 8 photograph Earth rising?
On December 24, 1968, Apollo 8 was orbiting the Moon. As the spacecraft moved around the far side toward the near side, Earth entered the crew’s field of view above the Moon’s curved horizon. Astronaut William Anders captured the iconic view below. The image was taken from a spacecraft, not by someone standing on the ground.
What would you see from the lunar far side?
From most of the Moon’s far side, Earth would not be visible at all, because the Moon itself blocks the view. The far side is not permanently dark: it receives sunlight during its own lunar day just as the near side does. ‘Far side’ means facing away from Earth, not away from the Sun.
Could Earthrise ever happen to someone standing on the Moon?
There is a subtle exception. Near some locations along the boundary between the near and far sides, Earth’s apparent motion due to lunar libration can carry Earth above and below the horizon. Such a rise or set would be slow and location-dependent—not a once-a-day event caused by the Moon spinning like Earth.
Does Earth show phases from the Moon?
Yes. An observer on the near side could see Earth change from a bright disk to a crescent and back, depending on the geometry of Earth, Moon and Sun. When the Moon appears full from Earth, Earth appears near ‘new’ from the Moon; at new Moon, the near side of Earth is broadly illuminated as seen from the Moon. Clouds and continents would also change as Earth rotates.
Frequently asked questions
Did astronauts on Apollo 11 see Earth in the sky?
Yes. Their landing site was on the near side, where Earth was visible above the horizon. Its position was not like the Sun’s familiar daily arc on Earth.
Is the dark side of the Moon always dark?
No. The far side has daylight and nighttime. Calling it the ‘dark side’ is misleading if it suggests permanent darkness.
Could a satellite above the Moon see Earthrise repeatedly?
Yes. A spacecraft in lunar orbit can repeatedly move between viewpoints from which Earth is hidden and visible, depending on its orbital path and altitude.
Learn more from NASA’s explanation of tidal locking, and see related Wondelique guides to Moon phases and how far away the Moon is.
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