Scientists reached this conclusion after examining lunar dust crystals brought to Earth as part of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. This discovery not only revises ideas about the age of the Moon, but also provides new opportunities to study the history of our planet.
The researchers used atom probe tomography, which allowed them to analyze the atoms in the crystals and reveal their ages.
It turns out that the Moon was formed approximately 4.46 billion years ago; This is 40 million years earlier than previous estimates. This discovery also supports the theory that the Moon was formed as a result of the Earth colliding with a cosmic object the size of Mars.
Recent research not only expands our knowledge of the origin of the Moon, but also highlights the importance of returning and properly storing samples from space missions.
Source: Ferra
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