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Scientists from China and Britain discovered that the far side of the moon might be colder than the side we see.
They made this finding by studying rock samples that were brought back to Earth from the moon’s far side during China’s Chang’e-6 mission last year. These were the first rock samples to be returned from the moon’s far side, which is not visible from Earth.
When looking at the samples, scientists found a difference in temperature between the near side and the far side of the moon. The minerals on the far side seemed to have formed at temperatures about 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than those on the near side.
“The stark contrast between the moon’s near side and far side in topography, volcanic activity and crustal structure provides critical insights into lunar formation and evolution,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience.
