Produced by: Manoj Kumar
A mysterious discovery: Scientists have unearthed a massive structure buried beneath the Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin. Weighing at least 2.18 billion kilograms, this find could rewrite our understanding of lunar evolution.
Credit : NASA
A basin of secrets: The South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the largest preserved craters in the Solar System, stretches 2,000km in length and 300km deep. Beneath its surface lies the enigmatic anomaly.
Credit : NASA
The anomaly’s origins: Baylor University’s Peter B. James suggests the mass could be metallic remains of an asteroid or oxides formed during the Moon’s magma ocean crystallization.
Gigantic proportions: “Imagine a pile of metal five times the size of the Big Island of Hawaii buried underground,” James explains. That’s the magnitude of the anomaly detected.
Credit : NASA
NASA’s eyes in the sky: The discovery was made possible by NASA’s GRAIL mission, which measures subtle changes in the Moon’s gravitational field to reveal its internal composition.
Unraveling the Moon’s history: Data from the anomaly offers new insights into the Moon’s mantle and the aftermath of ancient cosmic collisions.
Credit : NASA
Focus on the basin: The South Pole-Aitken Basin remains a hotspot for exploration, offering a glimpse into the Moon’s mysterious past and its hidden secrets.
Credit : NASA
A tale of asteroids: If the mass is indeed from an asteroid, it highlights the Moon’s violent history and its role as a cosmic shield for Earth.
What’s next?: With NASA’s Artemis program planning further lunar exploration, the South Pole-Aitken Basin may soon reveal even more secrets of our celestial neighbor.