NASA Just Confirmed The Moon Is Shrinking - Here's What It Means to Earth
By BRIGHT SIDE
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NASA’s Artemis program is bringing renewed attention to a startling discovery about the Moon: it is slowly shrinking as its interior cools, causing parts of its surface to crack and form massive cliffs. Scientists have identified thousands of small moonquakes and geological features that reveal the Moon is far from the lifeless, unchanging world it once seemed to be. As the lunar interior loses heat, the Moon’s crust contracts, creating faults that can trigger moonquakes and reshape the terrain where future astronauts may explore. This matters because NASA’s Artemis missions aim to send humans back to the lunar surface, including regions near the south pole where scientists are searching for water ice and planning future exploration. But how dangerous could these shifting faults and moonquakes become, and what does the Moon’s shrinking surface mean for humanity’s plans to build a lasting presence beyond Earth? Animation is created by Bright Side. ------------------------------------
Tags: artemis astronauts, artemis moon mission, artemis program, brightside, brightsideglobal, curiosities, earth, future moon missions, lunar contraction, lunar faults, lunar science, lunar south pole, lunar surface cracks, moon cliffs, moon cracking, moon geology, moon interior cooling, moon is shrinking, moon mysteries, moon quakes
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