FOR thousands of years, people gazing at the lunar surface have seen a “man in the moon”. Now we know how he got there.
Some 4 billion years ago, when the moon was still geologically active, the far side of the moon was battered by asteroids, says Ralph von Frese of Ohio State University. The resulting shock waves were so strong that they triggered volcanic eruptions on the side we can see by opening up cracks in the crust through which magma flooded onto the surface. This solidified to form what we now see as the eyes, nose and mouth…
