Study Explains Why Lunar Craters Are Bigger On the Near Side

An anonymous reader writes "A new study of asteroid craters on the moon has uncovered some big differences in the composition of the crust on the two sides of the moon. 'While massive impact basins pockmark the moon's near side, its far side contains considerably smaller basins. The discrepancy in crater distribution has puzzled scientists for decades. To investigate what may have caused this difference, the team obtained data from NASA's twin GRAIL probes, which orbited the moon from January to December 2012. During its mission, the probes circled the moon, making measurements of its gravity. Zuber and her colleagues used this data to generate a highly detailed map of the moon's crust, showing areas where the crust thickens and thins; in general, the group observed that the moon's near side has a thinner crust than its far side.'"

Comments

Not really solving the puzzle.

[Hans Lehmann]

OK, there are larger craters because the crust is thinner on this side, but why is the crust thinner on this side? Mere happenstance, or is it caused by orbital mechanics or some other reason?