Molecular Water Detected on the Moon
The conventional understanding that the Moon is completely dry has been challenged multiple times in the past. Samples collected by the Apollo missions showed up to a few thousand parts […]
Tag Archives: Earth’s moon
Evidence for Short-Lived Magmatism Early in the Moon’s History
Knowing the age of a rock or suite of rocks is very helpful in understanding geologic history. Geochronology, the science of using the isotopic signatures in a rock to determine […]
The Isotopic History of Earth’s Atmosphere Recorded in Lunar Hematite?
The surface of the Moon is a highly reduced environment, and lunar rocks and soils show that the Moon does not produce the iron-oxide mineral, hematite, through volcanic processes. Instead, […]
Slow-Cooling Magma Ocean Reconciles the Age of the Moon?
The prevailing paradigm for formation of the layered core-mantle-crust structure of a rocky planet or moon is the crystallization of a global magma ocean. The Moon serves as a geologic […]
The Future of Lunar Prospecting
Since the discovery of water ice within permanently shadowed regions at the poles of the Moon, scientists and engineers have been working together toward the goal of using this water […]
Earth and the Moon Aren’t as Similar as Previously Thought
How the Moon formed is a long-debated question. According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed from a collision between the early Earth and a rocky body called “Theia.” […]
Constraining the Impact History of the Moon with Lunar Impact Glasses
Lunar impact glasses are formed when the Moon’s crust melts during an impact event and subsequently quenches as a glass. The observed spectrum of impact glass ages helps to constrain […]
Fascination Moon: Visualizations Throughout History and Apollo 11 Landing in Real-Time
With the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing approaching on July 20, here are a few suggestions of how to celebrate the event. When we look up at […]
Sufferin’ Synestia, What an Event!
The current theory for the Moon’s origin is that it formed via a giant collision between the proto-Earth and a Mars-sized object. Although modelers agree that such a large impact […]
6TH ALFEN CONFERENCE: PLASMA INTERACTIONS WITH SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS
Anticipating Rosetta, Maven and Mars orbiter missions. Second announcement and call for notification of interest. Conference dates: 7-11 July 2014 Location: University College London (UCL), UK Main topics: Comets, Mars, […]