Science

Mystery mass altering lunar gravity

PTI Washington | Updated on June 12, 2019 Published on June 12, 2019

FILE PHOTO   -  REUTERS

Scientists have discovered a mysterious large mass of material, hidden beneath the largest lunar crater, that is altering the Moon’s gravitational field. The mass was found under the Moon’s South Pole — Aitken basin — and may contain metal from the asteroid that crashed into the Moon and formed the crater, according to the researchers from Baylor University in the US.

“Imagine taking a pile of metal five times larger than the Big Island of Hawaii and burying it underground. That’s roughly how much unexpected mass we detected,” said Peter B James, an assistant professor at the Baylor University.

Published on June 12, 2019
First soft landing on the south pole: Sivan