An exhaustive examination of the lunar gravity using the data obtained by the robotic spatial of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) offers new indices on the reasons for which the two sides of the Moon – the one facing perpetually and the other being always confronted – are so different.
The data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Recovery and Interior Laboratory of the United States Agency (Grail) indicate that the deep interior of the Moon has an asymmetrical structure caused by intense volcanism on its billions of years which has contributed to shaping its surface characteristics.
The researchers discovered that the Lunar near the quasi -long is falling a little more than the fartes during its elliptical orbit around the earth thanks to the gravitational influence of our planet – a process called tidal deformation. This indicates differences in both sides of the lunar interior, in particular in the geological layer called the coat.
“Our study shows that the interior of the moon is not uniform: the side facing the earth – the nearby side – is warmer and more active at the bottom of the farfeie,” said Ryan Park, supervisor of the solar system dynamic group in the NASA laboratory newspaper in California and the main study of the study published Wednesday in The Journal Nature, Open Tab.
The side of the moon is covered with large plains, called pond, formed from melted rock which was cooling and solidified billions of years ago. Her faranie has much more robust terrain, with few plains.
Some scientists have hypothesized that intense volcanism inside which has accumulated radioactive elements and heat generators on this side of the coat has led the surface differences observed today. The new results offer the strongest evidence to date to support this notion.
The researchers estimated that the close mantle on average is approximately 180 to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (100-200 degrees Celsius) warmer than the fartes, with the thermal difference perhaps supported by the radioactive decrease of thorium and titanium elements on the near side.
“The loved ones and the sides of the moon are very different, as shown by the differences in topography, the crustal thickness and the amount of elements producing heat inside,” said Park.
The diameter of the moon of approximately 2,160 miles (3,475 kilometers) is a little more than a quarter diameter of the earth. The lunar coat is the layer located under the crust and above the nucleus, covering a depth of about 22-870 miles (35-1,400 km) below the surface. The coat represents around 80% of the mass and volume of the moon and is mainly composed of the olivine and pyroxene minerals, similar to the mantle of the earth.
“The fact that the asymmetry detected in the mantle corresponds to the surface geology model – for example, the differences in the abundance of mare basalts from approximately three to four billion billions (volcanic rocks) between the near and the faranie – suggests that the processes that have led the old Lunar Volcanism volcanism are active, a statement of Jet Laboratory. The design of severity sensors for missions to the external solar system.
Researchers spent years analyzing the data from Spacecraft reflux and Grail flow, which orbited the moon from December 2011 to December 2012.
“Our study offers the most detailed and precise gravitational card of the moon to date,” said Park.
“This improved gravity card is an essential foundation for the development of positioning, navigation and synchronization systems), which are essential for the success of future lunar exploration missions. By improving our understanding of the Lune gravity field, it contributes to the establishment of a precise lunar reference frame, added a more reliable park and park for space operations and surface operations.”
The same approach used here using severity data to assess the lunar interior, have said researchers, could be applied to other organisms of the solar system such as Saturn’s Moon Enierdus and the Moon of Jupiter, Ganymede, two worlds of interest in the search for potential life beyond the earth.
In the meantime, the new results add to the understanding of the eternal companion of the earth.
“The moon plays a vital role in stabilizing the rotation of the earth and the generation of ocean tidalians, which influence natural systems and daily rhythms,” said Park. “Our knowledge of the moon has extended through human and robotic missions which have revealed details on its surface and its interior, but many questions about its deep structure and its history remain. As the nearest neighbor, the moon continues to be an important objective of scientific discovery.”
