The "near side" of the moon always faces Earth, because the moon's rotation is locked to its orbital motion around the Earth. So the quick answer is "50%."
In reality, I seem to recall that it's a little more than 50% owing to some east-west wobble as seen from the Earth.
Sorry, no sources -- I'll defer to others for an authoritative answer.
Posts: 2065 | Location: U.S. | Registered: 06-03-02
Q5. What percentage of the Moon's surface is visible from the Earth?
A5. 59% due to a phenomenon called libration. (The Moon's orbit is not a perfect circle, so at some points in its orbit, it is turned slightly eastward, and at other points it is turned slightly westward, allowing us to see more than 50% of its surface from the Earth.)
Thanks to decal, and armed with the word libration, I found a couple of other sites: Stargazing.net gives a full explanation; and here is a striking animation clearing showing the wobble (which is both longitudinal as well as lateral).
Posts: 2065 | Location: U.S. | Registered: 06-03-02