When it was first formed, the Moon was probably spinning rapidly. But the Earth's gravitational pull has slowed it down. The Moon now turns on its axis in the same time that it takes to orbit around the Earth. This means that the same face is always pointing inwards, towards the Earth.
However, the Moon's surface does appear to swing or 'liberate' to and fro by a small amount. This is caused by its elliptical orbit. It moves fastest when nearest to the Earth, but its speed of rotation does not change so the two get out of step.
However, the Moon's surface does appear to swing or 'liberate' to and fro by a small amount. This is caused by its elliptical orbit. It moves fastest when nearest to the Earth, but its speed of rotation does not change so the two get out of step.