Categories: Moon

Moon Could Still Have Molten Interior

Astronomers have calculated that the Moon, pulled by the gravity of the Earth and the Sun, may bulge as much as 10 centimetres over the course of its 27 day journey around our planet. The bulging could be caused by a molten slush surrounding the Moon’s core. The measurements were gathered by firing a laser pulse from the Earth to the Moon, and it measures the round-trip distance to an accuracy of 2 centimetres.

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today. He's also the co-host of Astronomy Cast with Dr. Pamela Gay. Here's a link to my Mastodon account.

Recent Posts

China Creates a High-Resolution Atlas of the Moon

Multiple space agencies are looking to send crewed missions to the Moon's southern polar region…

4 hours ago

Dinkinesh's Moonlet is Only 2-3 Million Years Old

Last November, NASA's Lucy mission conducted a flyby of the asteroid Dinkinish, one of the…

1 day ago

The Universe Could Be Filled With Ultralight Black Holes That Can't Die

Steven Hawking famously calculated that black holes should evaporate, converting into particles and energy over…

1 day ago

Starlink on Mars? NASA Is Paying SpaceX to Look Into the Idea

NASA has given the go-ahead for SpaceX to work out a plan to adapt its…

2 days ago

Did You Hear Webb Found Life on an Exoplanet? Not so Fast…

The JWST is astronomers' best tool for probing exoplanet atmospheres. Its capable instruments can dissect…

2 days ago

Vera Rubin’s Primary Mirror Gets its First Reflective Coating

First light for the Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) is quickly approaching and the telescope is…

2 days ago