The Moon’s south pole hides a 4-billion-year-old secret

A massive asteroid struck the moon's far side 4.3 billion years ago, creating the South Pole-Aitken basin and leaving crucial evidence about the moon's formation that NASA's Artemis missions may uncover. New research reveals the asteroid hit from north to south, meaning the southern rim where Artemis will land should contain thick layers of debris from deep within the moon's interior. This impact created a window into the moon's ancient "magma ocean" that concentrated special elements called KREEP on the near side, explaining why that hemisphere appears smooth while the far side remains heavily cratered.