Humans haven’t been to the Moon in nearly 50 years and that’s part of the reason why we still don’t know what's inside of it. Historically scientists have believed that the Moon has a partially molten core, upon which its mantle sits. But now researchers say they believe the lunar insides are a whole lot like the lunar outsides, that is to say solid through and through.
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00:00Humans haven't been to the moon in nearly 50 years and that's part of the
00:07reason why we still don't know what's inside of it. Historically scientists
00:11have believed that the moon has a partially molten core upon which its
00:14mantle sits. But now researchers say they believe the lunar insides are a whole
00:18lot like the lunar outsides. That is to say solid through and through. They looked
00:22at the moon with regards to our two current leading theories about its
00:25internal structures. They then compared those to our ever-increasing data set of
00:29measurements we have in relation to its shape and how it moves through space in
00:32relation to Earth. The tide specifically, the researchers say, would depend a lot
00:36on of course the moon's overall density but also its viscosity and rigidity. And
00:41they say the earth also tugs back on the moon, deforming it at certain intervals.
00:45While this has led researchers to believe some aspect of the moon's
00:48interior is molten, they say that doesn't have to be true. Adding in their new
00:51study quote, according to the other theory there is no such molten layer and
00:55the measured deformation of the moon can be explained by the behavior of
00:58solid rocks at relatively low temperatures. They add that there's only
01:02one real way to know for sure. We'll have to go back and explore it in person.