The senior contrast between the neighbor and the far side of the moon in topography, volcanic activity and the structure of the cortex give a critical understanding of lunar education and evolution. Nevertheless, the absence of samples from the further part for a long time limited research in the field of mechanisms that stimulate this hemispherical asymmetry. In a new study, scientists looked at fragments of rocks and soils picked up by the Chinese Chang'e 6 spacecraft last year from an extensive crater on the far side of the moon. They confirmed the previous conclusions that the image in the rock was about 2.8 billion years, and analyzed the chemical composition of their minerals to evaluate that it was formed from the lava in the depths of the inside of the moon at a temperature of about 1100 degrees Celsius-100 degrees Celcius Cooler than existing samples from the near party. A Conclusions were published in the journal The nature of the GeonusField
Global map of Albedo from the filter 750 Nm of the UV-Vis camera on board the NASA spacecraft. The image shows the near and far side of the moon in Lambert, a projection of an equal region. The image is provided: NASA.
“The near and far side of the moon is very different on the surface and potentially in the interior,” said Professor Jan Lee, a researcher at the University College of London and the University of Beijing.
“This is one of the greatest mysteries of the moon. We call it a double -leaf moon. The rainfall hypothesis has long hypotrated the dramatic difference in the temperature between the near and the future side of the mantle, but our study provides the first evidence using real samples. ”
“These conclusions bring us closer to the understanding of the two faces of the moon,” said Xuelin Zhu, doctor of philosophy. Student at the University of Beijing.
“They show us that the differences between the neighbor and the far side not only on the surface, but also deep into the inside.”
In the study, the authors analyzed 300 g of lunar soil allocated to the Beijing Research Institute of Uranus Geology.
“A sample collected by the Chang'e 6 mission is the first in history from the far side of the moon,” said Dr. Sheng He, a researcher from the Beijing Research Institute of Geology of Uranus.
Researchers put separate parts of the sample on the map, consisting mainly of basalt grain, with an electronic probe to determine its composition.
They measured tiny variations in the isotopes of lead, using the ionic probe today, like 2.8 billion years.
Then they used several methods to assess the temperature of the sample, while at different stages of its past, when it was deep in the inside of the moon.
The first to analyze the composition of the minerals and compare them with computer modeling to evaluate how hot the breed was when it was formed.
This was compared with similar assessments for the neighboring breeds, with a difference of 100 degrees Celsius.
The second approach was to return further in the history of the sample, withdrawing from its chemical makeup, how hot it would be its “parental rock”, comparing this with estimates for the examples of almost themselves, collected by the missions of Apollo.
They again found about 100 degrees of the difference in Selezius.
Since the returned samples are limited, they estimated the temperature of the parent breed using satellite data on the Chang'e landing site on the far side, comparing it with equivalent satellite data from the near side, discovering the difference again – at this time 70 degrees Celsius.
On the moon, heat producing thermal elements, such as uranium, thorium and potassium, are usually found together with phosphorus and rare -earth elements in a material known as rich in strength (abbreviation comes from potassium, which has a chemical symbol K, rare elements (REE) and P for phosphorus).
The leading theory of the origin of the moon lies in the fact that it was formed from garbage created from a massive clash between the Earth and the Protoplanet the size of Mars, and began completely or mainly made of molten breed.
This magma hardened when cooling, but Kreep elements were incompatible with the formed crystals and, thus, remained longer in magma.
Scientists expect the Kreep material will spread evenly along the moon. Instead, it is believed that it is grouped in the near lateral mantle.
The distribution of these elements may be why the nearest side was more volcanically active.
Although the current temperature of the far and close side of the Mantle of the Moon is not known from this study, any imbalance in the temperature between the two sides will probably remain for a very long time, and the moon is very slowly cooled from the moment when it has formed with catastrophic exposure.
Nevertheless, scientists are currently working to get the final answer to this question.
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She and othersThe field is a relatively cool lunar fake mantle removed from the Chang'e-6 basalt and remote probing. NAT GEALITYpublished online September 30, 2025; DOI: 10.1038/S41561-025-01815-Z
