In a groundbreaking leap for lunar science, China's Chang'e-6 mission has delivered 1,935.3 grams of rock and soil from the moon's far side, offering an unprecedented window into the dark hemisphere that always faces away from Earth.
Four new studies in Nature, led by teams at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Nanjing University, reveal ancient volcanic activity on the far side dating back 4.2 and 2.8 billion years. “This shows volcanism persisted for at least 1.4 billion years,” says Yang Wei of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics.
These samples also unlocked the moon’s magnetic past. Researchers found evidence of a rebound in lunar magnetism around 2.8 billion years ago, suggesting fluctuations in the moon's dynamo power. Meanwhile, water levels in the far-side mantle prove to be significantly lower than those on the near side, highlighting dramatic hemispheric contrasts.
All these clues stem from the massive impact that formed the South Pole-Aitken basin some 4.25 billion years ago—a collision thought to be 1 trillion times more powerful than an atomic bomb explosion. “Understanding this event is vital to piecing together the moon’s interior evolution,” notes Wu Fuyuan, academician at CAS.
Li Chunlai, deputy chief designer of Chang'e-6, calls these findings “our first direct evidence of deep far-side materials” and a crucial step toward resolving the long-standing mystery of the moon’s asymmetry. UK scientist Mahesh Anand adds that Chang'e-6 data is “upending established lunar theories” and opening fresh avenues for research.
With these breakthroughs, Chinese scientists—and their global colleagues—are poised to rewrite the moon’s history and explore new questions about planetary evolution. The Chang'e-6 mission stands as a testament to the powerful blend of cutting-edge engineering and scientific curiosity driving tomorrow’s discoveries.
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China's Chang'e‑6 samples unlock deep insights into moon's far side
cgtn.com
