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"  Thanks to researchers at Ohio State University, we may be one step closer to learning just how, exactly, a man got his mug stuck way up there on the moon. Astronomers have speculated for centuries on the origins of the dark spots, known as &amp;quot;lunar maria,&amp;quot; that resemble facial features. They knew these areas to be dried-up seas of magma, but how that magma reached the surface from the moon&amp;#039;s core remained a mystery\u2014until now. The moon would be a perfect sphere, except for a bulge on the side that faces the Earth and a corresponding indention on the opposite side. Previously, astronomers believed Earth&amp;#039;s gravity created these features some 4 billion years ago. But cross sectional images of the moon tell a different story: one of a violent collision with an asteroid. Ohio State scientists now believe that the force of an asteroid slamming into the moon caused its surface to warp, forming lunar craters that then flooded with magma. Following the impact, the Earth&amp;#039;s gravity continued to pull on the bulge of what was then a younger, more malleable moon, bringing more magma to the surface and reinforcing its eerie resemblance to eyes, a nose and a mouth. Similar impacts may be responsible for creating the volcanoes that form the Hawaiian Islands, and setting off the chain of events that would eventually destroy the dinosaurs. Astronauts will have a fresh perspective on the lunar maria in 2018, which is when NASA is planning to make another visit to the man with the biggest portrait in the galaxy.\u2014Adam Raymond "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a478/2295406/>