As part of the Chandrayan 3 mission, Pragyan Rover, which is charged with investigating the lunar surface, has discovered an incredible finding. In the vicinity of its landing site, the rover discovered an old crater. At Shiv Shakti Point, there are no boulders bigger than one meter in the area. The rover took high-resolution images of the newly found crater, which is situated in the south polar area of the Moon. The buried crater has a width of almost 160 kilometers and 4.4 kilometers in depth. The Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad’s researchers published the highlights in the most recent issue of Science Direct.
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Discovery of 160 km wide Crater
The South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, one of the biggest impact craters in the solar system, is thought to have provided the material that presently covers the area, according to scientists. Only 350 kilometers southwest of the Shiv Shakti Point, the SPA basin covers areas close to the lunar south pole while being primarily located on the far side of the moon. Additionally, these elements have accumulated from impact craters in the surrounding area. Several impacts in the SPA basin over billions of years have ejected materials that have gradually filled craters in the adjacent regions, including the site Pragyan observed.
Discovery of Water in the moon’s surface
Scientists have also identified evidence of water across the moon’s surface according to previous Chandrayan’s data. This is a remarkable discovery since it calls into question the long-held belief that lunar water was only found in the permanently dark regions at the poles. Evidence now implies that water and hydroxyl molecules exist at all lunar latitudes and terrains, including places exposed to direct sunlight.
What do these discoveries mean?
Pragyan rover‘s observations show that the location is remarkably old, as rocks that were originally present have been subjected to billions of years of space weathering and erosion. The discoveries of Chandrayan 3 help scientists understand the moon’s current processes and geological history. It’s a significant step toward further research and knowledge, making Chandrayan 3 a successful mission so far.
