By Stephen Beech

The far side of the moon may be much colder than the side we can see, suggests new research.

The interior of the mysterious far side of the satellite could be chillier than the side constantly facing Earth, according to an analysis of lunar rock samples.

Researchers say their findings, published in the journal Nature Geoscience , indicate that the moon is "two-faced".

The study, co-led by University College London (UCL) and Chinese scientists, looked at fragments of rock and soil scooped up by China’s Chang’e 6 spacecraft last year from a huge crater on the moon's far side.

The researchers confirmed previous findings that the rock sample was about 2.8 billion years old.

The team also analyzed the chemical make-up of its minerals to estimate that it formed from

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