China's Chang'e 6 lunar samples suggest our moon is debris from an ancient Earth impact

An image of the Chang'e 6 lander on the lunar surface at the far side of the moon.

There's less water in the mantle beneath the farside of the moon than in the mantle on the nearside, according to studies of the precious lunar samples brought back to Earth by China's Chang'e 6 mission.

Furthermore, the findings bolster the theory that the moon formed when a giant, Mars-size protoplanet slammed into the young Earth about 4.5 billion years ago and sent a cascade of debris into orbit that coalesced into the powdery gray orb we see today.