A map showing anomalies in the moon’s gravitational field, based on data from NASA’s GRAIL mission
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MIT/GSFC
Recent research using data from NASA’s GRAIL spacecraft has uncovered intriguing insights into the interior of the moon. Scientists have found that the moon’s near side, which faces Earth, is warmer than its far side, indicating an uneven distribution of heat within the lunar body.
Lead researcher Ryan Park from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and his team analyzed the gravitational field of the moon, which was measured by two spacecraft during the GRAIL mission in 2011 and 2012. By studying how the moon’s gravity affects the motion of these spacecraft, researchers were able to assess the moon’s shape and deformation caused by Earth’s gravitational pull.
What sets this study apart is the revelation that the moon’s interior plays a significant role in its gravitational field. Previous predictions suggested that the moon’s near side would deform more than the far side due to Earth’s gravitational influence. The new findings confirm this hypothesis and offer a fresh perspective on the moon’s internal structure.
Using the GRAIL data, Park and his team calculated the moon’s susceptibility to shape changes in response to Earth’s gravity. They discovered that this measure is 72% higher than expected if the moon’s interior were uniform. The most plausible explanation for this discrepancy is a differential in temperature between the near and far sides of the moon, leading to an uneven distribution of heat.
According to Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna from the University of Arizona, this model aligns with existing knowledge about the moon’s volcanic history and the distribution of radioactive elements near its surface. The uneven distribution of heat may have been influenced by the moon’s past interactions with other celestial bodies.
While the exact mechanisms behind this temperature difference remain unclear, future studies, including seismic measurements from instruments like the Farside Seismic Suite set to launch in 2026, aim to provide further insights into the moon’s interior and its geological evolution.
Overall, this research sheds new light on the moon’s internal dynamics and highlights the complex interplay between gravitational forces and planetary formation processes.
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