All in all, the moon looks pretty sprightly despite its 4.5 billion years of age. Forget the craterlike pockmarks and freckles — the Earth’s close companion is still pretty enough to inspire songs, poetry, paintings and even the timing of mating seasons within the animal kingdom.
“The moon is of the Earth. I think everyone has an emotional connection, whether they think so or not,” says Amanda Nahm, a program officer in NASA’s Planetary Science Division.
But did the moon always look this picturesque? If humans were around 2 billion years ago, would they have glimpsed the same iconic features?
