NILS Detects Negative Ions on Lunar Surface
The Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) instrument onboard China’s Chang’e-6 probe has detected negative ions on the surface of the Moon. These ions are produced on the lunar…
Earth’s Moon is Shrinking, New Modeling Study Suggests
Earth’s Moon shrank more than 46 m (150 feet) in circumference as its core gradually cooled over the last few hundred million years, according to a paper published in the…
Scientists Solve Major Puzzle in Moon’s Geology
New research from the University of Bristol sheds light on the origin of titanium-rich basaltic magmas on the Moon. A map of the titanium abundances of the Moon’s surface, obtained…
Lunar Anthropocene: Are We in New Epoch of Moon’s History?
In a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, Kansas Geological Survey researcher Justin Holcomb and his colleagues argue the new epoch may have dawned in 1959, thanks to the…
Two Fragments of Protoplanet Theia Lie Deep within Earth, Geoscientists Say
A giant collision between the ancient protoplanet Theia and the proto-Earth about 4.5 billion years ago may have formed Earth’s Moon as well as two continent-sized regions — formally known…
Moon is Nearly 40 Million Years Older than Previously Thought
By analyzing tiny lunar zircon crystals gathered by Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972, planetary scientists recalculated the age of the Moon. Although previous assessments estimated the Moon as 4.425 billion…
High-Energy Electrons from Earth’s Plasma Sheet May Be Forming Water on Lunar Surface
Planetary scientists from the University of Hawaii and elsewhere suggest that although they have confirmed the importance of the solar wind as a major source of water production on the…
Planetary Scientists Find Large Granite Formation on Moon’s Far Side
The 50-km-diameter granitic system discovered below the far side feature known as Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex likely was formed from the cooling of molten lava that fed a volcano or volcanoes…
Is Frying Possible in Space?
French fries are a very popular food commodity across many cultural backgrounds on Earth and as such they may be appreciated by long-term space travelers. The process of frying in…
ShadowCam Captures Spectacular Photos of Moon’s South Polar Region
NASA’s ShadowCam instrument is flying with five other instruments aboard KARI’s Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), also known as Danuri, which launched on August 4, 2022. This image of Shackleton…