The Moon has long been a subject of fascination for scientists and space enthusiasts alike. One of its most striking features is the asymmetry between its near and far sides, which manifests in various ways – from topography and crustal thickness to volcanic activity. The origins of these differences have puzzled researchers for decades, but the China’s Chang’e-6 mission has finally provided some answers.

Launched on May 3, 2024, the Chang’e-6 spacecraft returned a significant amount of material from the lunar farside’s South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA), the largest and deepest known impact structure on the Moon. The samples arrived on Earth on June 25, 2024, and their analysis has shed new light on the evolution of the Moon.

Researchers led by institutions affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, including the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG) and the National Astronomical Observatories (NAOC), have made four landmark discoveries based on the SPA samples. Their findings were published in cover articles in the journal Nature, providing a comprehensive understanding of the profound geological consequences of the impact that formed the SPA.

One of the most significant discoveries is that volcanic activity on the lunar farside persisted for at least 1.4 billion years, far longer than previously thought. This prolonged volcanic activity is attributed to two distinct phases – 4.2 billion and 2.8 billion years ago. The analysis also revealed a rebound in the Moon’s magnetic field 2.8 billion years ago, suggesting that the lunar dynamo, which generates magnetic fields, fluctuated episodically rather than fading steadily.

Furthermore, the research teams found significant asymmetry in water distribution within the lunar interior, with the farside mantle having lower water content than the nearside mantle. Geochemical analysis of basalt points to an “ultra-depleted” mantle source, likely resulting from either a primordial depleted mantle or massive melt extraction triggered by large impacts.

The Chang’e-6 mission has not only illuminated the evolution of the Moon’s farside but also underscored the transformative impact of space exploration on our understanding of planetary formation and evolution. The four landmark discoveries made possible by this mission are a testament to the power of international collaboration and the unwavering dedication of scientists to unraveling the secrets of our cosmos.

The discovery of 3I/ATLAS, a mystery interstellar object, has sent shockwaves through the scientific community. This ancient visitor is likely to be the oldest comet ever seen, possibly predating our solar system by more than three billion years. According to University of Oxford astronomer Matthew Hopkins, 3I/ATLAS could be more than seven billion years old and may be the most remarkable interstellar visitor yet.

Unlike previous objects that entered our solar system from elsewhere in the cosmos, 3I/ATLAS appears to be traveling on a steep path through the galaxy. Its trajectory suggests it originated from the Milky Way’s ‘thick disk’ – a population of ancient stars orbiting above and below the thin plane where the Sun and most stars reside.

Hopkins explained that all non-interstellar comets, such as Halley’s comet, formed with our solar system and are up to 4.5 billion years old. However, interstellar visitors have the potential to be far older, and 3I/ATLAS is likely to be the oldest comet ever seen.

The object was first spotted on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile, when it was about 670 million kilometers from the Sun. As 3I/ATLAS approaches the Sun, sunlight will heat its surface and trigger cometary activity, or the outgassing of vapor and dust that creates a glowing coma and tail.

Early observations already suggest the comet is active, and possibly larger than either of its interstellar predecessors, 1I/’Oumuamua (spotted in 2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019). If confirmed, this could have implications for how many similar objects future telescopes, such as the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, are likely to detect.

The discovery of 3I/ATLAS has sparked excitement among astronomers, who believe it may provide clues about the role that ancient interstellar comets play in seeding star and planet formation across the galaxy. As the comet continues on its journey towards the Sun, scientists will be closely monitoring its activity and behavior.

The Red Planet’s Hidden Past Revealed: Scientists Discover 15,000 Kilometers of Lost Rivers on Mars

A groundbreaking study has shed new light on Mars’ history, suggesting that the planet was once much wetter than previously thought. Led by PhD student Adam Losekoot and funded by the UK Space Agency, researchers have identified over 15,000 kilometers of ancient riverbeds in the Noachis Terra region of Mars’ southern highlands.

The discovery was made possible by analyzing fluvial sinuous ridges, also known as inverted channels, which are believed to have formed when sediment deposited by rivers hardened and was later exposed as the surrounding material eroded. These features have been found across various terrains on Mars, indicating that flowing water was once widespread in this region.

The new research focuses on fluvial sinuous ridges as an alternate form of evidence for ancient surface water, rather than relying on valley networks, which are branching erosional features that have traditionally been used to infer historical rainfall and runoff. The study’s findings indicate that surface water may have been stable in Noachis Terra during the Noachian-Hesperian transition, a period of geologic and climatic change around 3.7 billion years ago.

“This is an exciting discovery because it shows that Mars was once a much more complex and active planet than we thought,” said Losekoot. “Studying Mars, particularly an underexplored region like Noachis Terra, is really exciting because it’s an environment which has been largely unchanged for billions of years. It’s a time capsule that records fundamental geological processes in a way that just isn’t possible here on Earth.”

The researchers used data from three orbital instruments: the Context Camera (CTX), the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). These datasets allowed the team to map the locations, lengths, and morphologies of ridge systems across a wide area.

Many of the features appear as isolated ridge segments, while others form extensive interconnected systems. The spatial distribution and extent of these ridges suggest that they likely formed over a geologically significant period under relatively stable surface conditions.

“Our work is a new piece of evidence that suggests that Mars was once a much more complex and active planet than it is now,” said Losekoot. “The fact that the ridges form extensive interconnected systems suggests that the watery conditions must have been relatively long-lived, meaning Noachis Terra experienced warm and wet conditions for a geologically relevant period.”

These findings challenge existing theories that Mars was generally cold and dry, with a few valleys formed by ice-sheet meltwater in sporadic, short periods of warming. The discovery of ancient riverbeds on Mars provides new insights into the planet’s history and suggests that it may have been more similar to Earth than previously thought.