Scientists have identified a strange, gel-like substance that was discovered on the far side of the moon.
The material was found last year during China’s Chang’e 4 mission to the moon. Citing the Chinese language publication OurSpace, Space.com reports that the matter was “gel-like.”
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China's Chang'e 4 moon rover, known as Yutu 2, photographed by the Chang'e 4 lander on the moon's far side. (CNSA)
In a paper published in the journal Earth and Planetary Sciences, researchers described the substance as a “dark greenish and glistening impact melt breccia.”
Impact melt breccia is a type of lunar rock formed from asteroids striking the surface of the moon.
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In their paper, the scientists explain that the substance discovered by the Chang’e 4 mission’s Yutu-2 rover is similar to two melt breccia samples returned from the moon by NASA’s Apollo 15 and Apollo 17 missions.
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In a separate project, scientists have used radar technology to shed new light on the subsurface of the moon.
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