The Secret of the Invisible Side of the Moon

Why does the "dark" side of the moon look different? It was the differences in the cooling rate that made the half of the Moon's surface visible from the Earth so diverse, and the invisible half - much less rich in structures such as "seas". This was also influenced by the Earth, which in the early period of the life of both bodies warmed up one side, while the other cooled faster.

Today, the prevailing theory is that the Moon was formed by the collision of the Earth with a Mars-sized body called Theia and the ejection of mass into its orbit. It happened about 4,5 billion years ago. Both bodies were very hot and were much closer to each other. However, even then the Moon had a synchronous rotation, i.e., it always faced the Earth on one side, while the other side cooled much faster.

The "harder" invisible side was hit by meteorites, traces of which are visible in the form of numerous craters. The page we are viewing was more "fluid". It has fewer traces of craters, more large slabs formed as a result of the outpouring of basaltic lava, after the impact of space rocks.