Recently, NASA, the American space agency, posted on its website a short - two-minute film filmed by space probes that have been working in lunar orbit for over a year.
Approximately in the middle of the recording, in the midst of the lunar landscape, something very similar to the ruins of … a large and like a man-made structure: the walls are drawn as if under a ruler, connected at right angles. And the second object, which has already attracted the attention of thousands of people, was something like a huge pit in the lunar soil. It was nicknamed the entrance to the inner cavity of the moon.
We asked the authoritative Don astrophysicist, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Space Physics of the SFedU Yuri SHCHEKINOV about the lunar mysteries. And also talked with him about other exciting news related to the moon.
- For example, now the scientific community is discussing the possibility of starting the colonization of the moon as early as 2050 - in some 37 years, says Shchekinov. - And in a thousand years, I think, the following scenario will be quite possible: take a "taxi" to the Moon, which will be a kind of transfer station in our solar system. And from there fly to rest, say, to Uranus or Neptune.
Humanity would die
Yuri Andreevich, more and more scientists are inclined to think that if it were not for the moon, life on Earth would not have arisen. Actually, this gives food to talk that the Moon is artificially created: it does too much for our well-being
- The origin of life is perhaps the most intriguing mystery of modern science. By the way, one of the motives for studying the moon is precisely the hope to understand how life appeared on Earth.
Promotional video:
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- 4 billion years ago, the Earth and the Moon were bombarded with might and main by asteroids and other external bodies. Add that these neighbors in those days were more than two times closer than they are now. Emissions from that primitive Earth were supposed to reach the Moon. Therefore, attempts are being made to find some terrestrial substance on the Moon. This would make it possible to say a lot about the geological processes that took place on the Earth at the dawn of its formation.
As for your question, life on Earth in the form in which it is now, without the Moon would be absolutely impossible! When the Moon arose, it began to stabilize the Earth's rotation, moreover, this rotation slowed down. Not so long ago, calculations were made, the purpose of which was to understand what life on Earth would be like if we did not have the Moon.
And what would it be?
- Very unenviable (smiles). Let's say, in our latitudes, much sharper temperature fluctuations would occur, and not every three months, but every one and a half or two. In general, a day on Earth would not last 24 hours, but five times shorter - about 4 - 5 hours. At the very least, people simply could not get enough sleep and in the end they would die.
Today there is a lot of evidence for the theory that "humanity came out of the water": amphibians appeared from fish, etc. Believe it or not is another matter. However, the evolution described by this theory would not have happened (or it would have been much slower), if it had not been for the Moon, which causes the ebb and flow. Moreover, at the dawn of the formation of the Earth (3.5 - 4 billion years ago), the same tides were much more powerful on Earth! They were more terrible than the current tsunamis: waves rose several tens of meters, carried deep into the continent of fish, algae, microorganisms.
Signals from other civilizations
Nevertheless, science rejects the likelihood that the moon was artificially created. So be it. But there are many mysteries associated with the Moon. Have you watched the same sensational film recently filmed over the Moon by two American probes? I saw him. And, frankly, looking at the strange structures of a strictly rectangular shape, there is a belief that they are the work of intelligent beings
- You know, I also saw that movie. And I completely agree: when this huge something (and it is about a kilometer high!) Is shown by the rear chamber of the probes, it looks like a man-made building. But, believe me, it is not so! This is just some feature of the Moon's landscape, something like hummocks - heaps, but not ice, but boulders. Furthermore. If you go back in that movie, this section is shown by the front camera. And there the fact that this is a geological or tectonic formation is clearly visible.
As for the "passage into the inner cavity of the moon" … In fact, this is a deep cave, like there are on Earth. For example, for the first time a very deep cave on the moon (with a diameter and depth of about one hundred meters) was discovered by the Japanese research apparatus "Kaguya". The current cave is the second very extensive one found on the moon. And considering that the surface of the Moon is basalt, this is not strange at all. When such a rock solidifies, cracks and faults are often formed in it. In general, the structure of the Moon is already well known. Inside it is not a cavity, but a hot and solid core. It is surrounded by a thin layer of liquid iron shell, and then - by the bark.
However, at the same time, I do not want to say at all that there are no questions related to the Moon today. It's not for nothing that her research continues! For example, one of the most intriguing mysteries is an unusual optical phenomenon that has been observed from earthly telescopes for a long time.
And what is it?
- When the Moon is a month, flashes are periodically seen at the tips of this sickle. At one time they were even attributed to artificial signals, which, as you understand, can only be emitted by an intelligent civilization. However, there was no sensation. There are two hypotheses that, due to natural reasons, can cause such outbreaks. Although, I repeat, there is no definite answer.
It is not completely clear, for example, why there are SIGNIFICANTLY fewer minerals on the Moon than on Earth. At one time, the mystery was why the reverse, invisible from Earth, half of the Moon (also called dark) looks different than the one that is visible to us. Namely: the whole other side is occupied by a huge spot - the South Sea. However, in the end, a likely explanation was found: apparently, a huge asteroid fell on the dark side of the moon about a billion years ago. After that, arguments sounded: they say, the asteroid was so large that the Moon should have died, disintegrated into pieces.
Is it a mystery that she survived too?
- Detailed experiments have been carried out relatively recently. They still proved: even after such a blow, the Moon could survive.
- But so far, those strange phenomena, which were mentioned by some American astronauts who visited the moon, remain unanswered. For example, five years ago a documentary was shot in the United States, where one of the astronauts, Edwin Aldrin, admitted that they saw something like a UFO on the moon. Said, "There was something close enough to see." Neil Armstrong is said to have mentioned that he heard music on the moon. There were other oddities as well. For example, the famous German designer Werner von Braun was in charge of the lunar mission. Expeditions to the moon (1969-1972) were considered good luck, but von Braun was fired … One of the astronauts subsequently lost his mind.
- Alas, I cannot answer all these questions. As for the unusual evidence … First, one can understand the excitement of a person who stepped on the moon and saw his home - the Earth in the sky. Secondly, the lunar atmosphere is rarefied and at the same time ionized. The dynamics and motion of plasma are generally very complex. Configurations can arise in it, which, being illuminated by solar radiation, may well be perceived as real objects.
Finally, such an interesting fact was revealed. The moon causes tidal phenomena not only in the ocean, but also in the Earth's atmosphere. And the frequency of this external electromagnetic field coincides with … the alpha rhythms in the human brain. There is no such field on the Moon (it is also called the Schumann resonance). Does the “falling out” of a person from this field affect his psyche? While this is also a mystery.
Space station
You mentioned that the idea of an imminent colonization of the Moon is being seriously discussed. What will it give to earthlings?
- It is no longer a secret that oil and gas are being depleted. According to optimists, the earth's reserves of these resources will be enough for humanity until 2050, according to pessimists - only until 2020. The moon has impressive reserves of helium-3, the material for fusion reactors that scientists are racking their brains over the ability to build.
In general, there are a lot of tasks that could be solved on the Moon! It is a great place for observatories. From there, you can make an accurate weather forecast and observe the earth's climate. Everyone understands that the moon will eventually become a transport transshipment station - a kind of large space station. Humanity will fly there. And then from there, since there is very weak gravity on the Moon (low gravity), go to other planets. Alas, over the years, the issue of overpopulation of the Earth will arise …
Science still hopes to find life outside the Earth?
- I will say more: interest in these searches is now enormous and continues to grow! For example, a modern observatory was built in the United States a few years ago with private donations, the sole task of which is to search for extraterrestrial civilizations. All large observatories are aimed, for example, at the planet "Gliese 581g", where the conditions - physical properties, temperature, the presence of the atmosphere are very close to those on Earth. I think the study of Gliese 581g will give some results in the coming years.
