The Secret History of the Moon

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another exciting episode from the acclaimed documentary series How the Universe Works.

A topographic map of the Moon (low elevations in purple, high in red) shows extensive lava flows on the Ocean of Storms. New data from the GRAIL spacecraft suggests the region was formed by ancient volcanic activity, not by a large impact as had long been suspected. The image was rendered by Jay Dickson from Brown University with data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Orbiting Laster Altimeter.

Credit: Jay Dickson / Brown University

The Secret History of the Moon reveals the many incredible secrets that lurk on and beneath the lunar surface.  

A recent article in the popular Australian science magazine Cosmos  highlights many of these mysteries. 

The full moon as seen from Earth. Gravitational anomalies surrounding the Ocean of Storms region are superimposed in red. New research suggests these anomalies were once the source of a massive lava flow on the moon.

Credit: Kopernik Observatory/NASA/Colorado School of Mines/MIT/JPL/Goddard Space Flight Centre

Our Moon is stranger than you think, and we reveal its incredible secrets. Can we thank the Moon for life on Earth? What explains the mysterious tunnels beneath its surface? Is a lunar base the key to humanity's future in space?

This episode of How the Universe Works can be purchased direct from Amazon’s Instant Video.

Secret History of the Moon
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