A colossal “structure” located beneath the surface of the Moon has been uncovered by scientists.

For ages, the Moon has captivated and intrigued humans with its mystifying dark side and transformative abilities.

Despite humans setting foot on its surface, we are still far from fully comprehending its capabilities and unraveling its mysteries.

Yet, researchers have recently uncovered a massive and weighty concealed attribute of the Moon.

 

Underneath the South Pole-Aitken basin, a colossal depression considered as one of the biggest well-preserved craters across the Solar System, lies an immense formation. This structure spans over 2,000km (1,243 miles) in length, with a depth exceeding 300km (186 miles), and carries a weight of no less than 2.18 billion kilogrammes.

“One of the explanations of this extra mass is that the metal from the asteroid that formed this crater is still embedded in the Moon’s mantle,” lead author Peter B. James, from Houston’s Baylor University said.

To give an idea of its enormity, the researcher provided a vivid comparison, stating, “Picture a heap of metal that’s five times greater in size than the Big Island of Hawaii, and then imagine it being concealed beneath the Earth’s surface. This roughly corresponds to the amount of unanticipated mass we have discovered.”

 

NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, which gauges alterations in the gravitational field of the Moon, led to the groundbreaking discovery.

The information gathered through GRAIL can subsequently be utilized to investigate the internal structure of our pockmarked satellite.

The South Pole-Aitken Basin has been the focus of several inquiries owing to its exceptional characteristics.

This area provides insights into the internal configuration and past of our nearest celestial object, and perhaps harbors further enigmas yet to be unveiled.