Well, in a lunar eclipse, the sun is behind the moon isn't it? (thus lighting up that side) The idea that it is never lit is false....just can't be seen by those on Earth just as a man behind a hedge can't be seen by those in front of the hedge, even if he is brightly lit....

[Edited on 16-1-2004 by Gazrok]

Yeah dark side is a misnomer. The far side gets lit just as much as the near.

The moon is usually lit on the farside by the sun. This occurs from 1st quarter, and then the last quarter and new moon...then right back to the 1st quarter stage. We cannot see the moon during new moon, for it is close to the sun, and the blue tinit of the atmosphere blocks the view. The light that we see on the moon is from the sun; but sometimes we see Earthshine. To sum up, when we have a full moon on our side, the far side is having a new moon, when our side has a new moon, the far side is having a full moon, etc., etc. I hope that this answers your question.