India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, already a landmark achievement in space exploration, is continuing to make headlines with its latest discovery on the Moon. The mission’s Pragyan rover, diligently exploring the South Pole region, has stumbled upon a significant find: a massive, 160-km-wide impact crater. This discovery, detailed in the Science Direct journal, sheds new light on the Moon’s ancient geological history.
The crater, located near the Chandrayaan-3 landing site, was identified through data collected by the Pragyan rover as it traversed a highland terrain close to the Aitken basin, the largest and oldest impact basin on the Moon’s surface. The crater predates the formation of the Aitken basin, making it one of the oldest geological structures on the Moon. This means it provides a glimpse into a period of intense bombardment that shaped the lunar landscape billions of years ago.
The scientists at Ahmedabad’s Physical Research Laboratory, who analyzed the data, believe that the crater was buried under debris from subsequent impacts and has been slowly degraded over time. This layer of debris is particularly significant because it represents a collection of material from various impacts, offering valuable insights into the Moon’s early evolution.
The discovery of this ancient crater is not just a scientific breakthrough; it presents a unique opportunity to study one of the earliest geological formations on the Moon. By analyzing the crater’s structure and composition, scientists hope to unravel crucial details about the Moon’s past and present. The high-resolution images captured by the Pragyan rover have revealed important details about the crater’s structure, allowing scientists to further explore the Moon’s rich geological history.
As Chandrayaan-3 continues its mission, we can anticipate further exciting discoveries that will contribute to our understanding of the Moon and its place in the solar system.
