New research has unveiled the fascinating discovery of a pair of grand canyons on the far side of the moon, resulting from an asteroid impact billions of years ago. Scientists and NASA are particularly intrigued by this finding as they plan to land astronauts at the moon's south pole on the near, Earth-facing side, which remains untouched by the ancient impact and harbors older rocks in their original condition.
Utilizing data and images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, U.S. and British scientists meticulously mapped the impacted area and traced the trajectory of debris that led to the formation of these canyons approximately 3.8 billion years ago. The asteroid, estimated to be 15 miles across, passed over the lunar south pole before colliding, resulting in the creation of a massive basin and the rapid excavation of two canyons comparable in size to Arizona's Grand Canyon.
