What is tidal locking?

Tidal locking is a phenomenon in which the same side of an astronomical body, such as a planet or moon, always faces its parent body. This occurs because the gravitational forces between the two bodies cause one side to always point towards the other. As a result, the rotation period of the orbiting body is the same as its orbital period, so it always presents the same face to the parent body. This is why we only see one side of the Moon from Earth, for example.

Tidal locking is a phenomenon that occurs when the gravitational forces between two astronomical objects cause them to align their rotational periods with each other. In the case of the Moon and Earth, the Moon's gravity pulls on the Earth's oceans, causing them to bulge out in the direction of the Moon. This bulge creates a gravitational force on the Moon, which pulls it towards the Earth. As the Moon gets closer to the Earth, its rotational period slows down until it eventually becomes tidally locked with the Earth, meaning that the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth.