An international research team, led by Dr. Yuji Harada from
Planetary Science Institute, China University of Geosciences, has found that
there is an extremely soft layer deep inside the Moon and that heat is
effectively generated in the layer by the gravity of the Earth. These results
were derived by comparing the deformation of the Moon as precisely measured by
Kaguya (SELENE, Selenological and Engineering Explorer) and other probes with
theoretically calculated estimates. These findings suggest that the interior of
the Moon has not yet cooled and hardened, and also that it is still being
warmed by the effect of the Earth on the Moon. This research provides a chance
to reconsider how both the Earth and the Moon have been evolving since their
births through mutual influence until now.