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There are many larger-scale planets in the universe. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Volcanic activity on the far side of the moon
Moonexists opposite the sun, people often compare these twocelestial bodyPut together, the same is true in mythology. The moon is very important to humans, and it is also a celestial body that attracts attention and research. Due to tidal locking, the same side of the moon always faces the earth. Scientists have discovered that among the many mysteries of the moon, its front and back are completely different. topography and chemical composition, the abovevolcanoActivity and crater density also vary. It can be found that the basalt formed by magma condensing in depressions after volcanic eruptions is almost all on the front side of the moon, accounting for nearly 30% of the area on the front side. Only 2% of the area on the back side has signs of lava flow. These are huge differences. The situation is a difficult problem for scientists.
Two research teams used radioactive dating to examine samples brought back from the moon to analyze the secrets hidden on this celestial body. The first research team analyzed 35 basalt fragments and found that the age of the rocks was approximately 2.83 billion years. The second research team had a higher number of samples, reaching 108 basalt fragments, but the results they obtained were similar to the first, falling around 2.807 billion years. After comparing these rock samples from the back of the moon with previous samples from the front It was found that they formed relatively recently.
The second research team found that there has been volcanic activity on the far side of the moon for a long time. There is a rock fragment rich in “aluminum” and its history can be traced back to 4.2 billion years ago. These samples represent that the volcanic activity on the far side of the moon has lasted for at least 1.4 billion years. For a long time, this discovery was unknown in previously obtained samples.
In addition to the moon, scientists continue to explore the universe. There are endless celestial bodies and mysteries that have not yet been discovered in this vast space. In 2019, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovered an exoplanet, which scientists called “L 98-59 d”. It was a super-Earth larger and heavier than the Earth. It had not yet been discovered at the time. Find out what its atmospheric composition is like.
When a planet passes in front of its parent star, some of the light travels through the planet’s atmosphere and strikes gas molecules or atoms. Because each gas changes light in a unique way, humans can infer the composition of a planet’s atmosphere from the spectral signatures received by the star system. Recently, a research team collected the atmospheric transmission spectrum of L 98-59 d through the Webb Space Telescope and found evidence that the atmosphere of this super Earth may be filled with sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. This result is in stark contrast to the composition of the atmospheres of rocky planets in the solar system. In contrast, the Earth’s atmosphere is rich in nitrogen, oxygen and trace amounts of water vapor, Venus has a thick atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide, and Mars’ thin atmosphere is also dominated by carbon dioxide.
Using computer model simulations, the study showed that there is a unique extreme environment on the surface of L 98-59 d. There may be frequent volcanic activity or a magma sea, which may produce an atmosphere full of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. This discovery once again shows that the earth can contain a variety of rich environments and climates. In the vast and boundless universe, when enlarged to the scale of planets and stars, there are countless wonderful worlds running in the sky.
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