Wednesday, 24 June 2020
Scientists try to explain the weird asymmetry of the Moon
- Researchers are searching for an explanation for why the side of the Moon that faces Earth happens to be covered in dark spots, called "maria," or seas.
- These areas may be the result of radioactive decay of certain elements found in rocks, generating heat and melting the rocks.
- The backside of the Moon has almost no dark spots, leading the researchers to suggest and uneven distribution of these elements is to blame.
The Moon is an iconic feature of the night sky. It's always there, just kind of chilling out and showing us its personality-packed face at all times. It's cool, but we only ever see one side of it, and when astronomers first caught a glimpse of its backside they were shocked to see that it had very few dark areas as compared to the pockmarked "front" half.
Now, decades after those observations were first made, researchers are proposing a theory as to why that might be. The key appears to be the uneven distribution of radioactive elements across the Moon as it formed.
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Scientists try to explain the weird asymmetry of the Moon originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 24 Jun 2020 at 22:15:04 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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