Something Is Moving Inside the Moon, Scientists Say

Bright Side

Get this - scientists have discovered that something is actually moving inside the Moon! It sounds straight out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s real. Using special equipment, they’ve detected small shifts and movements deep beneath the Moon’s surface, which might be caused by cooling, shrinking, or even leftover seismic activity from billions of years ago. Some think it could also be related to mysterious molten material still lurking below the crust. These movements are tiny, but they’re helping researchers piece together the Moon’s history and what’s going on under its surface. It’s like the Moon has its own secret life, and we’re just starting to uncover it! Cool, right?  Credit: Moon Composition: By NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, https://science.nasa.gov/moon/composition/ LRO: By NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10438/ Moonquakes and Faults: By NASA/LROC/ASU/Smithsonian Institution, https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/moon/shrinking-moon-causing-moonquakes-and-faults-near-lunar-south-pole/ NASA / YouTube NASA 360 / YouTube ⚡Iceland Explorer / YouTube European Space Agency, ESA / YouTube Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00There's something happening inside the Moon, something that nobody expected.

00:05Not a dramatic shift you'd see on the outside, but deep down, where things seem frozen in

00:11time, scientists have uncovered a hidden layer of what you could only call Moon goo.

00:17Remember those school lessons about the crust, mantle, and core?

00:21Much like the Earth, the Moon is made up of layers – a crust, mantle, and core.

00:26However, the Moon's core is much smaller compared to ours.

00:30Earth's core is huge – it makes up about a third of our entire planet's mass.

00:35The Moon's core makes up only about 1-2% of its mass, and its diameter is about one-fifth

00:41the diameter of the Moon itself.

00:43It's surrounded by a hard, rocky mantle.

00:47But it turns out that between these two layers – that mysterious goo layer – and it's

00:52way more important than you might think.

00:54The layer is soft and partially molten, ebbing and flowing like the tides in our oceans.

01:00It rises and falls, stretching and shifting as if it were alive.

01:05Its movement isn't chaotic, but subtle and regular.

01:09We always knew that the Moon influences our seas and oceans, causing tides with its gravity.

01:15But it turns out that we influence it back.

01:18The goo ocean reacts to the gravitational dance between Earth and the Sun.

01:23Also, the molten layer could be made of ilmenite, a very intriguing material.

01:29Ilmenite is rich in titanium, a strong and lightweight metal that we really love over

01:33here on Earth.

01:35Titanium is used in everything from airplane parts and spacecraft to medical devices.

01:40Even in everyday items like bikes and laptops.

01:43All because it's incredibly strong and very resistant to corrosion and heat.

01:48So if the Moon might have a molten layer rich in ilmenite, that would be awesome!

01:54Astronomers are already planning for lunar bases.

01:57And if we had a material to build structures, spacecraft, or even tools for astronauts right

02:02there, that would be a game-changer.

02:05Otherwise we'd need to transport materials from Earth, which is extremely costly.

02:10This is our first tangible sign that the Moon is not just a cold, boring rock.

02:15Instead, it's dynamic, living, and breathing, with moving forces beneath the surface.

02:21NASA used new special tools to discover this – the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory

02:28and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

02:30These are both space missions designed to study the Moon, but they don't just look

02:34at the surface like a telescope.

02:36Instead, they help measure things we can't see with our eyes, like the Moon's gravity

02:41and how it changes over time.

02:44GRAIL sent two small spacecraft around the Moon named Ebb and Flow.

02:49Clever.

02:50The idea was for these spacecraft to fly close to each other and measure tiny differences

02:55in the Moon's gravity as they go.

02:57It's like they were feeling the Moon's invisible pull in different places.

03:02If the Moon's gravity was stronger in one spot, the spacecraft moved closer together,

03:07and if it was weaker, they moved farther apart.

03:10This helps scientists understand what's going on inside the Moon, even if they can't

03:14actually go there.

03:16And the spacecraft intentionally crashed into the Moon in December 2012 to end the mission.

03:22The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is a bit different.

03:25It takes super-detailed pictures of the Moon and collects other important information about

03:29its surface.

03:31By combining the information from both GRAIL and LRO, we were able to find this goo layer.

03:37But this discovery actually challenges everything we thought we knew about lunar geology.

03:43How did this molten layer get there?

03:45How long has it existed?

03:47And perhaps more fascinating, how it stayed warm for millions of years?

03:51That's a million-dollar question.

03:54The Moon's core generates heat, just like ours.

03:57But it's not as easy as saying, oh, the core's heat probably keeps it warm and molten.

04:02Well, first, the Moon's core is much smaller and less active than Earth's, meaning it

04:07produces significantly less heat.

04:09Plus, the Moon is much cooler than Earth in general.

04:12With temperature dropping to minus 200 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface, how could this

04:16inner layer still stay in this flowing state?

04:19That's still a mystery.

04:21In any case, this goo could actually explain a lot of stuff about the Moon.

04:26For example, astronomers were exploring moon quakes and how they happened.

04:30Now they think that it might be this semi-molten layer shifting and moving beneath the surface.

04:36Beyond the Moon itself, it also tells us more about other celestial bodies.

04:41If the Moon, something we considered basically a huge static rock, has such a dramatic life,

04:47what about other planets, moons, or asteroids?

04:50Could they also hide similar hidden movements beneath their surfaces?

04:55We can even understand our own planet better.

04:57Learn more about how tides and similar stuff works.

05:01There are so many great discoveries we've been making on the Moon.

05:04Recently, we found some awesome stuff beneath the surface.

05:08Massive caves, hidden for millions of years.

05:11For over 50 years, scientists have suspected that the Moon's surface is full of underground

05:16tunnels and caves.

05:18These are known as lava tubes because they were formed by lava, duh!

05:24Thousands of years ago, the Moon was pretty unstable.

05:26It underwent some volcanic activity, causing eruptions.

05:30When a volcano erupts, lava can flow across the surface.

05:34As the outer layer of the lava cools and hardens, it forms a solid roof of dark material.

05:40It's actually what these famous dark spots on the Moon are.

05:43These are dark, hardened remains of ancient lava.

05:47But the hot, molten lava continues to flow through the center.

05:50Once the eruption ends and the lava drains away, what's left behind is an empty, hollow

05:56tunnel.

05:57Hence, a lava tube.

05:59On Earth, we have lava tubes in places like Hawaii or Iceland, where volcanic activity

06:04has created similar underground tunnels.

06:07The same thing happened on the Moon billions of years ago.

06:10Although they're much crazier compared to ours.

06:13In fact, lunar lava tubes are now thought to be some of the largest and longest in the

06:17entire solar system.

06:19One such cave was discovered beneath the famous Mare Tranquillatus, the place where

06:24Apollo 11 first landed.

06:26And it's at least 340 feet deep.

06:29All these lava systems have remained hidden just beneath the surface, untouched for millions

06:34of years.

06:35Only now, they finally managed to prove their existence.

06:39Scientists from the University of Trento in Italy found them using special radar technology

06:44and advanced computer methods.

06:46These techniques let you see underground by sending radar waves.

06:50The waves bounce back and give clues about what's hidden underneath.

06:55By analyzing the way these waves reflected back, the researchers could detect the shape

07:00and size of the hidden caves.

07:03The best thing about this discovery is that we could build all our bases there.

07:07These caves protect from radiation, harsh winds, and meteoroids.

07:12NASA even found evidence that some of these caves stay at a steady 63 degrees Fahrenheit.

07:18That's some crazy coziness for the Moon.

07:20And on top of that, there could even be some water there.

07:24So humans could take shelter inside these natural tunnels and build entire colonies

07:29on the Moon.

07:30And I know what you're thinking.

07:32Could unexpected lunar monsters hide deep in those caves?

07:36Well, sure!

07:37There's a huge potential for exploring these caves and finding some awesome stuff.

07:42But even if we manage to find a miracle, like small life or microbial organisms, there's

07:48a 99% chance that there won't be actual animals or monsters.

07:52It would just be impossible for them to develop in such conditions.

07:56But it would make a great horror movie.

08:00Researchers want to send robots or drones to explore the tunnels first, and then see

08:04if they're safe enough for humans.

08:07And it's not just the US getting in on the action.

08:10China is also investigating the possibility of using these Moon caves as a future base,

08:15showing that the race to explore and settle the Moon is eating up.

08:20That's it for today!

08:22So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your

08:26friends!

08:27Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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