The lurking hypothetical planet
It's been over 50 years since we first landed on the Moon. The Apollo 11 astronauts made history, and we haven't stopped exploring the Moon ever since. In fact, we are constantly learning new things about the Earth's satellites. But what exactly?
It turns out, quite a lot. Browse through this gallery and discover how far we've come since 1969.
The moon is not a primordial object. According to NASA, it's "an evolved terrestrial planet." It has an internal zoning similar to our planet, with a thick crust, and it's partly liquid deep down.
In 2009, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's data confirmed that there was water locked up in ice.
In 2020, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) found further evidence of water, this time on the sunlit side of the Moon.
Seismometers were placed on the surface of the Moon to monitor seismic activity. They showed moonquakes happened regularly.
Can you imagine how devastating a 10-minute earthquake would be? Unlike the average 30-second shakes we get on Earth, moonquakes can last up to 10 minutes.
After analyzing moonquake data, scientists discovered that part of its seismic activity originated from the contraction of the Moon's crust caused by its cooling. This has made the Moon shrink by about 150 feet (about 45 m) over the last few hundred million years.
We didn't know this before going there. After samples were analyzed, it was determined that the lunar surface is made of a mix of dust and rocks.
The mix of dust and rock fragments that covers the Moon is called regolith.
There are mainly three types of rock on the Moon: basalts, anorthosites, and breccias, all of which are formed without water, unlike some of the rocks we find on Earth, such as limestone.
Rocks from both Earth and the Moon show common ancestry. Though the Moon didn't have enough iron or volatile elements to form an atmosphere similar to ours, nor water.
Because our satellite has such a well-preserved crust, it allows us to study how old various surfaces are, and consequently use the data to estimate the age of other planets in our solar system.
Because the Moon has no atmosphere, it's vulnerable to asteroids and other celestial bodies crashing into its surface. Some of the Moon's craters date back billions of years.
The Moon's surface is not affected by as many geological phenomena as Earth's. This allows for rocks to be preserved without minimal disturbance. Some are nearly 4.6 billion years old!
This was determined after astronauts placed an aluminum foil sheet on the moon and exposed it to solar winds. The data showed that solar winds indeed change.
The Hermite Crater has reached a whopping -415°F (around -212.8°C).
The Moon is, in fact, asymmetrical. It does look nice and round to the naked eye when it's full, but it's actually uneven. The Earth's gravitational force might be responsible for some of its asymmetry.
Our planet's protective magnetic field is created by the movement of liquid iron and nickel. The Moon's gravity helps this movement, strengthening the Earth's magnetic field.
This happened around 4.4-4.6 billion years ago, and it was followed by a number of asteroid impacts.
The Moon is moving away from Earth at a rate of about 1.5 inches (3.81 cm) per year.
Meteorites ejected from the moon have been found on Earth, and asteroid debris from Earth has also been found on the Moon.
These deep large holes, known as lunar pits, were discovered by NASA’s moon probe Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery on the Moon: a potential home for future human inhabitants. An Italian research team has confirmed the existence of a cave, at least 100 meters (over 325 feet) deep, within a lunar pit. Visible to the naked eye from Earth, the pit is also where Apollo 11 landed in 1969. This underground cavity could provide essential protection from the harsh lunar environment, including radiation, extreme temperatures, and micrometeorites. Researchers believe there may be hundreds of similar caves, offering promising sites for establishing a permanent lunar base. While accessing these caves might pose challenges, the discovery is a significant step towards realizing human habitation on the Moon.
The Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin is home to a huge reserve of heavy metals. It's estimated that it's the remains of an iron-nickel asteroid dating back around four billion years.
Just like Earth. Except, its crust is about three times thicker than Earth’s.
Sources: (Stacker)
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LIFESTYLE Science
It's been over 50 years since we first landed on the Moon. The Apollo 11 astronauts made history, and we haven't stopped exploring the Moon ever since. In fact, we are constantly learning new things about the Earth's satellites. But what exactly?
It turns out, quite a lot. Browse through this gallery and discover how far we've come since 1969.