2023-05-08 20:00:00
Until now, scientists had only been able to identify the fluid outer core of the Moon. This discovery will allow us to better understand our satellite.
This is a particularly well-kept secret! But that was without taking into account the work of a team of French researchers from the CNRS, the Côte d’Azur University, the Côte d’Azur Observatory, Sorbonne University and the Paris Observatory- PSL. Fifty years after the Apollo mission, scientists have looked into the composition of the Moon’s core. In a study published in the journal Nature, on May 3, determined that not only is the inner core of our satellite solid like that of the Earth, but that it is also made of a metal whose density is close to that of iron. They also discovered that the core has a diameter of about 500 kilometers, or about 15% of the total width of the Moon.
Crucial works
The new study highlighted in particular the overturning of the lunar mantle, that is to say the movement of materials in the mantle of the Moon before this layer cools to form an essentially solid mass. According to scientists, this overturning of the mantle could explain the composition of the lunar crust.
Understanding this phenomenon is crucial since it seems to be directly linked to the production of a strong magnetic field during this period. But today, the Moon’s magnetic field has almost disappeared and is about 100 times weaker than Earth’s. This new work thus helps to better understand the history of the Solar System in general, other planets being suspected of having experienced a similar episode of mantle reversal.
A long-term job
If we know a lot about the structure and history of the Moon, this new study therefore confirms and expands pre-existing scientific knowledge. In 2011, NASA suggested that the Moon had a solid, iron-rich core, as well as a fluid outer core. This hypothesis has existed for several decades but needed to be confirmed by new data. The researchers used seismic data collected during the Apollo missions to draw up a picture of the inner layers of the Moon. This work estimated the inner core to be about 300 miles (482 kilometers) in diameter, which is close to the recent group’s estimates.
This work is not the only recent effort to explore the geology of the Moon. Last March, Chinese researchers published evidence for the existence of a reservoir of water on the surface of the Moon in the form of hydrated glass beads.
I may also be interested in:
⋙ What if the Moon had formed in just a few hours? Here is what these scientists reveal!
⋙ Here’s why the moon doesn’t revolve around itself
⋙ On the Moon, tiny glass beads contain billions of tons of water
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#finally #Moons #core