The collision sent an enormous amount of molten material into orbit around Earth, which eventually coalesced into the Moon.Ī new study examined the disparity between the two sides of the Moon.
That theory suggests that a large planetary body roughly the size of Mars, called Theia, struck the Earth. The leading theory for the formation of the Moon is the giant impact hypothesis. And NASA is planning a return to the Moon in the near future.īut the puzzling question remains: why is one side so cratered and one side not? Why is the near side so much smoother, and dominated by vast basaltic, volcanic plains? Why was this ancient volcanic activity mostly restricted to one side, the side facing Earth? The near side of the Moon (left) and the far side of the Moon (right.) The near side contains 97% of the dark volcanic plains, while the far side is much more cratered? Image Credit: NASA We’ve sent astronauts there and have brought back hundreds of kilograms of lunar regolith to study here on Earth. Now of course we’ve mapped the entirety of the Moon’s surface, and we’ve gathered all kinds of scientific data on our natural satellite as well. One of many images of the far side of the Moon captured in 1967 by NASA’s Lunar Orbiter 4.
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