Like most other planets and moons on the solar system, the Moon has been hit by asteroids and other space objects. It has very little atmosphere to cushion large objects, unlike the Earth, which has an atmosphere that could slow down or even disintegrate objects that fall to the planet. It is not just asteroids that affect the Moon's surface, however, as astronomers have studied.
The Moon also has much dust over its surface. It is covered by a layer of two centimeters of dust, and this is frequently moves around so often that it changes its surface. Astronomers estimate that this change happens every 81,000 years, as Phys Org reports.
Asteroids and other objects also drop on the Moon often. On average, 180 new craters are being formed each year, according to the Express Tribune. These craters could have a size of at least 10 meters in diameter.
The findings about the Moon's surface changing constantly have been made by Emerson Speyerer from Arizona State University and his team. They have compared images taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been observing the Moon since 2009. The team compared images of the same areas at regular intervals and has seen that they have changed over that span of time.
"We detected 222 new impact craters and found 33 percent more craters with a diameter of at least 10 meters than predicted," the team said in its report. Other disturbances have been noted that have affected the Moon's surface but have not created any crater. These are secondary impacts that have occurred for thousands of years.
The Moon continues to change over time and in just a few years it would have a different one than it currently has now. More change on its surface is expected as asteroids and other space objects hit its surface, making the Moon an object of fascination for amateurs and professional Astronomers alike.
.
