Since early space probes revealed stark differences between the far side of the Moon and the hemisphere that always faces Earth, scientists have been trying to explain how that came about.
The basic difference between the two lunar hemisphere is that the far side is largely highlands whereas the near side has several large basins. They are the dark areas visible with the unaided eye. Astronomers first assumed they were volcanic in origin, but an impact theory was developed around Apollo. A team of Japanese researchers, focusing on the makeup of the rocks along the periphery of the basin, say those rocks are consistent with huge impacts that would have created pools of molten lava a thousand miles wide and several hundred miles deep.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment