The impact crater from NASA’s LCROSS mission lies hidden in an eternally dark region of the Moon.
Moon
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Moon’s Tides Hint at a Melty Lunar Layer
New lunar gravity measurements support the idea that a partially molten mantle layer is sandwiched between the rest of the Moon’s mantle and its core.
Posted inNews
The Origin of the Moon’s Thin Atmosphere Might Be Tiny Impacts
Minuscule meteoroids slamming into the lunar surface could be kicking up most of the atoms that make up the lunar exosphere.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
New Moonquakes from Old Data
Almost 50 years after they were turned off, the Apollo seismometers still have secrets to reveal.
Posted inNews
Lunar Lava Tube Revealed Beneath Collapsed Pit
The Sea of Tranquility is home to at least one lunar lava tube, which could preserve a pristine and unweathered record of lunar volcanism.
Posted inFeatures
The Past, Present, and Future of Extraterrestrial Sample Return
Retrieving samples from distant solar system bodies has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos and our place in it.
Posted inNews
First Samples from the Moon’s Farside Return on Chang’e-6
These samples could provide novel geologic insight into the Moon’s formation and history.
Posted inFeatures
The Art of Doing Fieldwork on the Moon
How early-career planetary scientists are preparing to support the astronauts who will return to the lunar surface and beyond.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Earth’s Subduction May Have Been Triggered by the Same Event That Formed the Moon
The giant impact that formed the Moon may also have led to extrastrong mantle plumes that enabled the first subduction event, kick-starting Earth’s unique system of sliding plates.