Chinese probe lands on dark side of moon

A Chinese spacecraft has made the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon as it transmitted a never-before-seen image of the unexplored surface.   

Lunar explorer Chang’e-4 touched down at 10.26am local time (2.26am GMT), state media reported, and took the ‘close range’ photograph in a global first.   

While stationed on the moon, the Chang’e-4 will attempt to recce the famous Von Karman crater in the Aitken basin, the largest impact crater in the entire solar system at eight miles (13 km) deep and 1,600 miles (2,500 km) in diameter.   

It will also be tasked with carrying out mineral and radiation tests, presenting scientists with the first-ever chance to examine materials from the far side of the moon.   The far side of the moon - colloquially known as the dark side - actually gets as much light as the near side but always faces away from Earth. This is because the moon is tidally locked to Earth, rotating at the same rate that it orbits our planet, so the far side - or the ‘dark side’ - is never visible from our planet.
China, (Daily Mail), 3 January 2019