The biggest craters on the moon. What causes the craters on the moon

There are a couple of basic theories about what causes craters on the Moon. One of them is based on the impact of meteorites on the surface of the satellite. The second is based on the fact that within this celestial body certain processes occur, similar in nature to eruptions of volcanoes. And that's it they are the real reason. Both theories are quite controversial, and below will be told why it could have happened such a crater formation. The moon is characterized by riddles, most of which humanity has not solved until now. And this is one of them.

Briefly about the Moon

As you know, this satellite rotates around the planet Earth in a relatively stable regime, periodically approaching or retreating slightly. According to modern data, in passing the moon is gradually flying away from us all further into space. Approximately this movement is estimated at 4 centimeters per year. That is to wait until it flies far enough, you can very long. The moon affects tides and, more precisely, provokes them. That is, if there was no satellite, then there would not be such activity of the oceans and seas. Since when people first began to gaze intently into the sky and study this heavenly body, the question arose of what craters on the Moon are like. It has been a long time since the first attempts to understand the unknown, but to this day there are only theories that have not yet been virtually confirmed by anything.

Age and color of craters

A feature of such formations on the surface of the satellite is their coloring. Craters on the Moon, which were formed several million years ago, are considered young. They look lighter than the rest of the surface. Other species of them, whose age can not be calculated at all, have already darkened. This is all explained quite simply. The outer surface of the satellite is quite dark due to the constant exposure to radiation. But inside, the moon is bright. As a consequence, when a meteorite strikes, a light ground is emitted outside, thereby forming a relatively white spot on its surface.

The largest craters of the moon

Since ancient times a tradition has arisen to give different names to celestial bodies. In this case it concerns the craters themselves. So, each of them bears the name of one of the scientists who, one way or another, but moved the science of the cosmos forward. The most notable of the comparatively young craters is the one that is called Tycho. Visually, it looks like a kind of "navel" of our companion. The formation of craters on the Moon of this type is most likely actually due to a collision with its surface of a very large meteorite. In this case, the name came from Tycho Brahe, who was once a very famous astronomer. This is a young crater, whose diameter is 85 kilometers, and the age is about 108 million years. Another notable education of this kind has a diameter of "only" 32 km and is named after Kepler. In terms of the degree of visibility, they go further: Copernicus, Aristarchus, Manilius, Menelaus, Grimaldi and Langren. All these people in one way or another related to the development of science, and therefore rightfully recorded in history in this way.

"Shock" theory

So, let's return to theories about what causes craters on the Moon. The most common and reliable of them implies that in the distant past huge meteorites fell on the surface of our satellite. In general, judging by various data, this was indeed the case, but there is another question. If this happened, how did such large meteorites fly around our planet and hit it on purpose? That is, if there was a conversation about that side of the celestial body, which is directed into space, then everything would be clear. But with the part turned to the planet it turns out that the satellite bombardment went directly from the surface of the Earth, which according to the official history could not simply be.

Theory of internal activity

This is the second probable reason for the formation of craters on the Moon. Considering how little we know even about the nearest cosmic body to us, it is also quite real. It is understood that in ancient times (the same many millions of years ago) volcanic activity occurred inside the satellite. Or something that might be like her. And the craters are just a consequence of such events, which in general is also similar to the truth. It is unclear whether something like this is happening there now, and if so, why does not humanity observe it. And if not - then why it stopped. As in any other situation with the cosmos, there are always more questions than answers. In general, we can assume that the Moon in its time experienced about the same period of volcanic activity, which was on our planet. Gradually the situation stabilized, but now it is almost invisible or absent. If we take such an analogy, then this is also quite possible. Unfortunately, it will be possible to receive an unambiguous answer only when people, at last, start studying space in more details and in detail.

Unexplained features

In principle, everything is clear with what could be the reasons. There are so many craters on the Moon that both theories may be true. However, there are certain features that do not fit into any of them. These include various unexplained phenomena that regularly appear on the surface of our satellite, in particular, in craters. From them, then strange radiation begins to emerge, then inexplicable color spots appear and so on. So far, no one can even guess what it is. Perhaps the point is in the material from which the meteorite consisted, or in that it burst outward from the inside of the satellite.

Craters on the Moon and the reason for their formation

And now let us return to the very theory of the origin of this celestial body. The official version, so to speak, says that the Moon was formed as a result of a collision of a satellite with the Earth's surface. Then it seemed to bounce back into space and there hung, fixed by the attraction of the planet. Perhaps something like this really happened, but most likely the object that crashed into the Earth was completely destroyed. From the impact a huge amount of dust rose, the speed of which was so high that it entered the orbit of the planet. Gradually, this material was pressed together, and eventually formed a satellite.

This explains how the craters were really formed on the Moon, on that part of it that is turned toward our planet. So, at first the dust formed small objects that gradually collided with each other and merged, became more and more. Over time, a certain basis was created for the largest size possible in such a situation. Already flying into orbit a huge number of other, smaller particles and began to crash, reacting to the formed force of attraction. Naturally, among such elements there were also so large that the craters that we know now are.

The result

Space is a complete riddle. People do not yet have the opportunity to study everything so thoroughly that questions disappear. This applies to other galaxies or stellar systems, as well as to the celestial body closest to us. Perhaps in the near future the situation will change, because now the preparations for the construction of the base on the Moon, the study of Mars and so on are being actively conducted.