CentralNotice From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search Tidal locking results in the Moon rotating about its axis in about the same time it takes to orbit Earth . Except for libration effects, this results in the Moon keeping the same face turned towards Earth, as seen in the figure on the left. (The Moon is shown in polar view, and is not drawn to scale.) If the Moon were not rotating at all, it would alternately show its near and far sides to Earth, while moving around Earth in orbit, as shown in the figure on the right. Tidal locking (also called gravitational locking or captured rotation ) occurs when the gravitational gradient makes one side of an astronomical body always face another, an effect known as synchronous rotation . For example, the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth . A tidally locked body takes just as long to ro...