The moon was knocked out of the young earth in a collision with a celestial body –
this is the common theory for the creation of the Earth’s satellite. A study raises doubts.
Updated 1 hour ago—
The moon over the Jakobshorn near Davos.
Photo: Nicola Pitaro
Contrary to decades of belief, our moon obviously has significant amounts of carbon. Japanese researchers conclude this from an analysis of the measurement data from the “Kaguya” lunar probe. According to the evaluation, the Earth’s satellite emits an average of around 50,000 electrically charged carbon atoms (ions) per square centimeter every second. The team led by Shoichiro Yokota from the University of Osaka in the US journal Science Advances argues that more than can be delivered to the moon from space. This would put carbon emissions into distress for the most common theory of the moon’s formation, according to which the Trabant was knocked out of the young earth billions of years ago by a collision with a celestial body about the size of Mars.
Volatile substances evaporate
Poverty in the so-called volatile elements and compounds such as carbon and water is one of the central prerequisites for the collision model of the formation of the moon, the scientists emphasize. The volatile substances were largely evaporated due to the high temperatures during the cosmic crash. In fact, the soil samples collected during the Apollo moon flights in the US had indicated a bone-dry earth satellite. However, more recent analyzes had already shown water in the moon floor, and the collision theory had been adapted accordingly.
Different emissions
The Yokota team has now been evaluating measurements of the Japanese lunar probe for a year and a half, the instruments of which were sensitive enough to detect possible carbon emissions. Such measurements had not previously been made comprehensively. It was shown that the Earth’s satellite emits carbon in all regions, whereby these emissions are significantly greater in the basaltic lowlands than in the highlands.
The sum of the emissions cannot be explained by carbon, which is delivered to the moon by the solar wind – a constant particle stream from our daily star – or by micrometeorites, the researchers write. The regionally different emissions could also best be explained by an underground supply of carbon that must have been stored deep beneath the surface billions of years ago, presumably already at the time of its creation. An exact estimate of the carbon supply of the Earth’s satellite is still pending, as is an explanation of how carbon got into the moon.
Published: 05/10/2020, 09:28 PM-
