What is the name for the Moon's apparent wobble as seen from Earth?
Answer
Libration
Answer
Libration
The Moon’s apparent wobble as seen from Earth is called libration.
Libration is the apparent, cyclical nodding or rocking that lets observers see slightly more than half of the Moon’s surface over time. Although the Moon is tidally locked and keeps nearly the same hemisphere facing Earth, libration exposes additional strips along its eastern, western, northern, and southern edges. Altogether, observers can see about 59% of the lunar surface from Earth at different times.
The largest component is libration in longitude. The Moon travels in an elliptical orbit, moving faster near perigee and slower near apogee, while its rotation remains more nearly uniform. This makes the Moon seem to turn a little from side to side. Libration in latitude comes from the tilt of the Moon’s rotational axis relative to its orbital plane, and daily parallax adds a smaller effect as Earth rotates.
Libration is not the same as precession, which is a slow change in the orientation of an axis, or occultation, which occurs when one object passes in front of another.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026