So, get this: scientists have been keeping an eye on the Moon, and guess what? It’s actually getting smaller!
Yeah, you heard that right.
According to data collected by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter, our trusty old satellite is shrinking.
And you know what’s causing this lunar shrinkage? It’s the Moon’s core cooling down, believe it or not.
Now, here’s the kicker: as the Moon shrinks, it’s not just sitting there quietly.
Nope, it’s getting all shaky and quaky, just like Earth does when we have earthquakes.
Those “moonquakes,” as they call them, are actually making cracks on the Moon’s surface and have caused it to shrink by more than 50 meters (150 feet) over hundreds of millions of years.
Crazy, right?
Tom Watters, a top scientist at the Smithsonian Institution, explained it like this: the Moon’s outer layer is cooling down, kind of like when a grape turns into a raisin.
But don’t panic just yet!
Watters wants to make it clear that this shrinkage isn’t a reason to cancel any future Moon exploration plans – we’re just learning more about what’s happening up there.
But hold onto your space helmets, because this Moon shrinkage could actually have big implications for us humans.
Picture this: landslides, shaky ground, and structures getting damaged – yikes!
Before we start setting up Moon bases and planning lunar vacations, we’ve got to figure out where it’s safe to build.
After all, we don’t want to end up with a Moonquake knocking down our space condos!
And get this: it’s not just Americans eyeing the Moon – Russia and China are getting in on the action too.
NASA’s got its sights set on the south pole of the Moon for its Artemis III mission, while Russia already made a successful landing there.
Seems like everyone’s eager to stake their claim on the lunar real estate!
One last thing: Beyond the results of this study on current space exploration, scientists are further concerned that as the moon shrinks, it will be too far away to fully block the sun in fewer than a billion years making total solar eclipses a thing of the past.
