Believe it or not, the moon's near side is its dark side, thanks to a collection of low-lying lunar plains, solidified remnants of ancient seas of molten magma.
Hello autumn! Manish Mamtani captured this aerial view on September 24, 2017 - two days after the September equinox. Do you have a photo of autumn's arrival this year at your location? Or ... Southern Hemisphere spring? Submit your photo here.
In terms of reflectivity, the moon’s near side is its darker side, because of the dark low-lying plains, or maria, on this side. See if you can make out the dark areas on tonight’s waxing gibbous moon.