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The Imbrium mare’s pool in the north of the moon. | Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS
For decades, scientists have been trying to understand why some rocks of the moon are highly reduced, although the moon today has no magnetic field.
The Moon Rocks brought to Earth during the NASA Apollo missions in the 1960s and 70s, as well as data from an orbital spacecraft, show that parts of the lunar surface – especially on the distant part – contain rocks with Surprisingly strong magnetic signaturesS The new computer simulations suggest that a huge asteroid effect billions of years ago may have briefly enhanced the old, slightly magnetic field of the moon, leaving behind a magnetic footprint that is still found in moon rocks.
“The Majority of the Strong Magnetic Fields That Are Measured by Orbiting Spacecraft Can Be Explained by This proces Technology’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Who Led The New Study, Said in A statementS
While the moon once had a slight magnetic field generated by a small melted nucleus, team studies suggest that it probably would not be strong enough alone to eliminate surface rocks. However, the massive effect of the asteroid may have changed this – at least briefly.
Narrett’s simulations and his team show that the powerful impact, probably what created the massive Imbrium pool on the moon, will have a evaporated surface material and created a cloud of overheated, electrically charged particles known as plasma. As the plasma surrounds the moon, much of it would concentrate on the opposite side of the impact, temporarily enhancing the magnetic field of the moon in this region. The rocks in the area could capture this short -lived magnetic jump before the field faded, according to the new study.
The findings suggest that the impact would cause seismic blows that passed through the moon and approached the far side. These waves probably “flicker” the electrons in the nearby rocks just as the magnetic field reached a peak – effectively locking in the orientation of the field as a geological photo.
Researchers estimate that the whole sequence would play in less than an hour, but probably left behind a magnetic signature that is still being found today.
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“It is as if you are throwing a deck with 52 cards into the air, in a magnetic field. Each card has a compass needle,” Study co -author Benjamin Weiss, who is a professor of land and planetary sciences in MIT, said in a statement. “When the cards calm on the ground, they do it in a new orientation – this is essentially the process of magnection.”
Future missions can put the theory of the test team. The most loudly -ranged rocks lie near the south pole of the moon, the distant part – an area that several international missions, including NASA Artemis programPlan to explore in the years to come. If these rocks show signs of both shock and ancient magnetism, this may confirm that the magnetic abnormalities of the moon are due to a colossal effect of an asteroid.
“There are large parts of lunar magnetism that are still unexplained,” Terret said.
The study was published On Friday (May 23) at Science Advances