The Moon, the fifth largest in the solar system and the only natural satellite of the Earth, contains many mysteries. When we look at the sky at night, we only see one side of the Moon, and we never see the other side because the period of its rotation around the Earth coincides with the period of its rotation.
Although this is the case, we were able to reach the other side of the satellite due to space exploration. The other side of the Moon was first observed with the Soviet space probe Luna 3. As a result, the other hemisphere of the moon is covered with craters and lacks the gray patterns we know; it was understood that the two sides were very different from each other. That’s why scientists were investigating why the two sides were so different from each other. Now, there has been an important development in this regard.
Why are there no volcanic zones on the other side of the Moon?
A study published Friday in Science Advances offered an explanation for the differences in the two sides of the Moon. First, let’s say that the large, dark swirly regions on the visible side of our satellite were formed from volcanic activity on the surface in ancient times. However, such regions are not found in the other hemisphere. And scientists are questioning why this difference occurs.
Scientists involved in the study used computer simulations to understand what was happening on the Moon before volcanic activity occurred. To expand this further, experts reconstructed the South Pole-Aitken basin, which changed the surface of the Moon and formed a giant crater with an impact on the part of the moon that we cannot see billions of years ago. It should be noted that this crater is one of the largest known impact craters in the Solar System.
Researchers trying to find out how this impact affected the internal dynamics of the Moon, researchers discovered that this massive event brought a heat cloud made of chemical elements to the side of the moon that we see, rather than the far side, producing lava flows that contribute to mantle melting. This reveals that the mentioned elements may have caused a volcanic age to occur on one side of the Moon facing us, causing the regions on the side we see to appear, and that the other side was not affected by this situation.
Also, the side of the Moon visible to us, unlike the other side, contains potassium, phosphorus and heat-producing thorium etc. It is stated that the rare elemental content is compatible with this hypothesis. Although their discoveries are quite exciting, the researchers underline that more studies are needed on the subject.
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