The moon dominates our night sky, since ancient times it has touched the most poetic strings of the soul in people. Although new understandings of many lunar mysteries have been proposed over the past few decades, a large number of unresolved questions still surround our only "natural" satellite. We used to rely on this white planetoid, which tirelessly slices its orbit around our planet every 28 days, and has become an important part of our natural world. But when we begin to analyze the physical qualities of our familiar neighbor, many details suggest that the moon cannot be a natural creature.
Is the moon made artificial? Where does this absurd theory come from? The first assumptions were put forward in 1960 by Russian scientists Mikhail Vasin and Alexander Shcherbakov, and later researchers and colleagues became interested in this hypothesis-idea, which contains eight postulates, the analysis of which reveals the curious characteristics of our satellite. Below is a brief overview of these observations.
The first lunar riddle: a large satellite, a small planet
Compared to other planets in our solar system, both the path of the orbit and the size of our moon are quite significant anomalies. Other planets, of course, also have satellites. But planets with a weak gravitational effect, such as Mercury, Venus and Pluto, do not have them. The moon is one quarter the size of the earth. Compare this to huge Jupiter or Saturn, which have several relatively small moons (Jupiter's moon is 1/80 of its size), and our Moon seems to be a rather rare cosmic phenomenon.
Another interesting detail: the distance from the Moon to the Earth is quite small, and the apparent size of the Moon is equal to our Sun. This curious coincidence is most evident during total solar eclipses, when the Moon completely obscures our nearest star.
Finally, the moon's near-perfect circular orbit differs from the orbits of other satellites, which tend to be elliptical.
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The second lunar riddle: an incomprehensible deviation
The gravitational center of the Moon is almost 1,800 m closer to the Earth than its geometric center. With such significant discrepancies, scientists still cannot explain how the Moon manages to maintain its almost perfectly circular orbit.
The third lunar riddle: craters
When you see a photograph of the lunar surface, you are sure that this is a world of craters. The overwhelming majority of cosmic bodies falling on the earth's surface either completely burned up in the atmosphere or significantly decreased in size. Without such an atmosphere, the Moon does not seem to be very "bruised". Given that the depth of these craters is surprisingly shallow compared to their circumference, it can be assumed that the surface of the moon is composed of an extremely durable material that prevents deep penetration. Even craters over 280 km in diameter are no deeper than 6.5 km. If the Moon were just a uniform piece of rock, then there must be craters that are at least four to five times deeper.
Vasin and Shcherbakov suggested that the lunar surface could be made of titanium. In fact, it has been tested and found that the lunar crust has an extraordinary amount of titanium. The titanium layer is estimated by the Soviet team to be almost 32 km thick.
The fourth lunar riddle: lunar oceans
What are lunar oceans in essence? It is believed that these gigantic expansions of solidified lava emerged from the interior of the Moon due to the impact of meteorites. While this theory can be easily explained by the volcanic activity of a warm planet whose interior has melted, many say that the Moon was most likely always a cold body.
The fifth lunar riddle: gravitational inconsistencies
The gravitational pull on the moon is not uniform. The crew aboard Apollo VIII, while flying near the lunar ocean, noticed that the moon's gravity has sharp anomalies. In some places, gravity seems to be mysteriously increasing.
The sixth lunar riddle: geographic asymmetry
On the far side of the Moon (the side that is not visible from Earth), we found many craters, mountains and geographic upheavals. However, from the Earth side, we see most of the satellite's oceans. Why are 80 percent of the lunar oceans on only one side of the moon?
Seventh Lunar Riddle: Low Density
The density of our Moon is about 60 percent of that of the Earth. Various studies show that it must inevitably be hollow. In his 1982 book Moongate: Suppressed Findings of the US Space Program, nuclear engineer and researcher William Brian II writes that the data provided by the Apollo seismic experiments show that the moon is "hollow and relatively hard." In addition, a number of scientists were so brave that they began to argue that such a void is artificial. Based on the studied surface layers, the scientists stated that the moon appears to be a planet that was formed "in the opposite direction." This is another argument in favor of the artificial origin hypothesis.
The eighth lunar riddle: other versions of the origin
Over the past century, three main theories of the origin of the moon have been put forward. According to one of them, the Moon was actually part of the Earth that broke away. Another theory holds that the Moon was formed at the same time as the Earth, emerging from a single cloud of the primordial nebula. These hypotheses, however, do not explain the incredible differences that exist in the nature of both bodies. The third theory suggests that after its wandering in space, the Moon was pulled and captured in its orbit by the Earth. The problems with this theory lie in the explanations above: the Moon has an almost perfectly circular and cyclical orbit, and is comparatively large. In cases where satellites are attracted by a planet, a more eccentric orbit, or at least elliptical, can be expected. Another problem with all three theories is their inability to justify the high angular momentum between the Moon and Earth.
The fourth explanation in this article is perhaps the most incredible of all. However, this could explain various anomalies on the Moon. If a satellite is built by intelligent beings, then it is not subject to the "rules" that are observed by bodies created by a random process billions of years ago. In fact, many scientists have already accepted this theory as being no less relevant than others.
“When I first came across a shocking Soviet theory explaining the true nature of the moon, I was shocked. At first it seemed incredible to me and, naturally, I rejected her. When our Apollo expeditions brought in more and more facts confirming the Soviet theory, I was forced to accept it,”writes Don Wilson in the prologue to his book on the study of theories of the artificial satellite“Our Mysterious Spaceship Moon”(Our mysterious ship Luna).
If the moon is really a man-made object, what was the purpose of it, and who built it? Was it simply done to have a "flashlight" in the night sky, or were there other design considerations? Her field influences our ebb and flow, and some believe that a full moon can even affect our mental state. Having become an integral part of life on Earth, it is difficult to imagine our world without the Moon. But perhaps humanity once knew such a moonless sky.
Minutes after the Apollo XI astronauts placed the first seismograph on the moon on July 20, 1969, NASA saw the first signs of seismic activity from the satellite.
Despite the fact that they were of minor nature, the scientists decided to find out if the aforementioned activity was caused by the fall on the surface of the "Luna XV" of a Soviet unmanned satellite, which was launched into the orbit of the Moon at the same time as the Apollo crew were on their mission. … It all ended with the fact that he accidentally hit the so-called "Sea of Crises". But regardless of the nature of the fall, what has been attracting the attention of researchers from the beginning to the present day is the amazing duration of such activity on our neighboring planetoid.
Recently, many research teams have been scrupulously deciphering the thousands of hours of recordings made by seismographs on the moon during the Apollo program. In these flights ("Apollo XI-XVI"), measuring devices were installed, transmitting a large amount of data to the Earth. This continued until their shutdown in 1977.
According to researcher Yoshio Nakamuro, a geophysicist at the University of Texas who is currently studying these phenomena, there is a variety of low-strength moonquakes (lunar earthquakes) that occur an average of 1000 km deep from the lunar surface, which is very strange.
Catherine L. Johnson, a geophysicist at the Scripps Oceanographic Institute, notes that this unusual seismic activity is much deeper than on Earth. In addition, these small lunar earthquakes occur several times a day, and most of them occur on the visible side of the moon. This is another example in a growing list of curious anomalies that have been found on our satellite.
Clive R. Neal, professor of civil engineering and geological sciences at the University of Notre Dame (USA), is also studying data from the Apollo program. He was able to confirm the presence of 28 strong earthquakes of small strength (5.5 on the Richter scale), and, curiously, after them, the moon continued to tremble for more than 10 minutes. On Earth, such vibrations usually last no more than 30 seconds. He also found that the moon was making noise.
"The moon vibrated like a ringing bell," Neal said in a 2006 NASA report. This phenomenon, along with many other studies, shows that our Moon may be a hollow asteroid, and not a mass of solid rocks.
Incredible theories
Some of the mysteries of the moon can be solved if science can confirm its origin. If we could somehow learn the history of the moon, then inexplicable lunar behavior would make sense. Of the three or four most popular theories of the last century, the most common is slow collision. This theory describes the formation of a satellite from fragments of smaller planets colliding with the Earth.
To test the dynamic behavior of such a collision, laboratories use supercomputers that can recreate graphs with millions of possible variables. According to calculations, the Moon could form if a body of a certain size would collide with the Earth at a certain angle, freeing up spatial material that could come together without falling to the Earth. This would require, along with other variables affecting the destruction of the object, for it to hit the Earth at a speed of just over 14 km per second.
Although scientists have engineered a way to recreate this complex scenario, there is still a wide variety of lunar characteristics that defy explanation.
Glowing moonlight
Some observers who saw small lights on the Moon considered them to be a manifestation of extraterrestrial civilizations, but most of them turned out to be clouds of magnetically charged dust particles that appear on the surface of the Moon as luminous points. These lights, known as Lunar Transient Phenomena (LTP), have been observed for centuries. This phenomenon, which was of great interest during the Apollo programs, was revised at the end of 2005.
Apollo XVII astronauts installed a LEAM (Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites) instrument on the Moon in 1972 to observe the dust left behind by small meteorites after hitting the lunar surface. Researchers have studied data for over 30 years to understand the causes of LTP.
“To everyone's surprise, LEAM saw a large number of particles every morning, mostly from the east or west, not farther north or south, and mostly slower than the expected lunar ejection rate,” said Gary Olhoeft, professor of geophysics at the School of Ores. in Colorado, NASA report.
The researchers found that a few hours after each lunar sunrise, the temperature had risen to nearly 100 C, and the LEAM had to be turned off to avoid overheating. Scientists wonder what can create such strange phenomena?
Moon making
In 1960, Mikhail Vasin and Alexander Shcherbakov of the USSR Academy of Sciences studied this curious data and developed a theory that could shed light on the secrets of the moon.
They suggested that our satellite does not follow the laws of other natural cosmic bodies, because it was not formed as a result of natural processes. The Soviet team claimed that the moon was an industrial product. While some may laugh at the idea, numerous reports and data from NASA have led many to seriously consider the theory of the artificial origin of the moon. In the first part of this article, it is shown that the Moon has rare characteristics and strange phenomena that are not found in other celestial bodies. For example, shallow craters suggest that the Moon is made of a very durable material; the density of the moon is so low that it could float in water; the Moon is too large for a satellite of the Earth; it has an almost perfect circular orbit and gravitational variability over its entire surface.
Skeptics, of course, will say that ancient man could not develop the technology for building such a luminous colossus, this is simply ridiculous. But if you stop and look at the achievements and projects of modern people, perhaps this idea will not seem so crazy. The famous astronomer Carl Sagan once said that after the Moon and Mars, man has already begun to change the views of other worlds. Our influence today is, of course, greater, since the Moon is even considered as a possible source of energy. This project proposes placing huge solar panels on our satellite, and directing this energy to Earth through microwaves.
Even if there was such a society with the necessary technology, why did they need to create the moon? Some say that life on Earth would be too chaotic without this satellite. Without our "gravitational anchor" on Earth, the day would be 6 hours, unbearably cold in winter and hot in summer. As astronomers note, the Moon is moving away from the Earth by several centimeters a year, some scientists have even begun to draw ideas for maintaining our planetary stability. Alexander Avian from the University of Iowa (USA) proposed to “kidnap” one of Jupiter's moons (Europa) and place it in our orbit, but this, of course, is quite difficult for a flawless implementation.
Such an intention to manipulate the celestial bodies of our solar system is a typical example of the influence that man can have on space in the coming years. So we should reconsider our views on the impossibility that a civilization like ours, which emerged thousands of years ago, could light a huge "cosmic lamp" high in the sky.
Leonardo Vintini / translated by Gennady Buslov