Study finds moon's far side may be colder than near side
The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, found that rock and soil fragments collected last year by China's Chang'e 6 spacecraft from a "vast" crater on the far side of moon had an interior temperature of 1,100 degrees Celsius.
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The near and far side of the moon. (NASA)
Sept. 30 (UPI) -- A new study published Tuesday suggested that the moon's far side of the moon may be colder than the near side.
The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, found that rock and soil fragments collected last year by China's Chang'e 6 spacecraft from a "vast" crater on the far side of moon had an interior temperature of 1,100 degrees Celsius, about 100 degrees Celsius cooler than samples found on the near side.
"It is one of the great mysteries of the moon," according to study co-author Yang Li, an associate professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Britain's University College London and Peking University in China.
UCL researchers in London now say their findings suggest that the conflicting geological environment between the moon's two faces likely extends far under its surface.
"We call it the two-faced Moon," Li added in a release. "A dramatic difference in temperature between the near and far side of the mantle has long been hypothesized, but our study provides the first evidence using real samples."
Chang'e 6 launched last year in May and gathered rock samples on the far side of the neighboring planet after it landed on the dark side in early June.
China's Chang'e spacecraft landed back on Earth later in June last year and by August scientists had moon rock pieces in hand.
The most popular scientific theory of the moon's formation is it was birthed by a collision between Earth and a Mars-size rock called Theia, but scientists in 2018 formed a separate theory that conversely suggested the moon was born inside Earth before it was a solid planet.
In April, Chinese officials permitted the United States and five other nations to examine the rocks on temporary loan, with China now the third nation on Earth to have collected moon rocks after U.S. efforts and Russia.
London scientists concluded the 2.8-billion-year-old fragments formed from lava deep beneath the lunar surface at a temperature of about 2,012 degrees Fahrenheit.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in the first ten years of the 21st century measured temps as low as minus 416 degrees Fahrenheit in the always-shadowed moon craters.
But Japan's space agency discovered last year in February its "Moon Sniper" machine was not fully fit to survive the deep colds of the lunar night, which can reach minus 130 degrees Celsius, or minus 266 degrees Fahrenheit.
On Tuesday, the study'ss co-author said the new findings "take us a step closer to understanding the two faces" of Earth's satellite planet.
"They show us that the differences between the near and far side are not only at the surface but go deep into the interior," stated Xuelin Zhu, a PhD student at Peking University in Beijing.
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