April 16, 2026 | 08:54 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Scientists have revealed that the Moon does not look the same from every place on Earth. Differences in perspective can cause the Moon's orientation to change quite drastically, both across regions and over time.
"How we see the Moon and Stars is all a matter of perspective," said Pamela Gay, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, cited from a report by Live Science, April 12, 2026.
According to astronomers, these differences not only cause the Moon's appearance to change from one location to another, but it can also appear to rotate from the time it rises to the time it sets in some regions.
For example, when the full moon is viewed from the North Pole, the Tycho crater will appear at the bottom of the Moon's surface. Conversely, from the South Pole, the same crater will be seen at the top.
Changes in orientation also occur in mid-latitude regions. Data from the Lunar and Planetary Institute shows that the Moon's orientation in Wellington, New Zealand, differs by about 97.1 degrees counter-clockwise compared to what is seen in Los Angeles. This difference is influenced by the latitude of each location.
In a simple illustration, an observer in the Northern Hemisphere may see the "man on the moon" pattern in an upright position. However, in the southern hemisphere, the same pattern may appear as a different shape. "moon is now a bunny jumping downward," Gay described the difference in perception.
However, all regions on Earth essentially see the same side of the Moon. This occurs because the moon rotates on its axis in the same time as its period of revolution around Earth, a phenomenon known as synchronous rotation.
Differences are also evident in the moon phases between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In the northern hemisphere, the changes in moon phases are observed to move from right to left, while in the southern hemisphere it is the opposite.
"This is a result of how the local horizon plane … is oriented relative to the positions of the Earth, moon and sun," said Catherine Miller, an observatory specialist at Mittelman Observatory, Middlebury College.
In the equatorial region, a more unique phenomenon occurs. When the Moon rises, its shape appears to expand vertically towards the full moon phase, so the crescent moon is often seen as a boat.
In addition, in many places, the Moon's orientation also appears to rotate throughout the night. In the equatorial region, these changes can even reach about 180 degrees. "Moon's face can rotate by roughly 180 degrees in an evening," Miller said.
However, this phenomenon is not because the moon is actually rotating, but it is the result of the observer's changing position while following the Moon's path in the sky. "It's all about how [the moon] follows that arc," said Gay.
These "rolling" phenomena decrease in high-latitude regions because the Moon does not pass directly over the head (zenith), so observers do not need to turn fully to follow it. Thus, the differences in the Moon's appearance in different parts of the world are mainly caused by the observer's perspective changing according to their geographical position.
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