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The Moon also has its own carbon emissions, raising questions about the origin of our Earth’s heavenly companion.
The Japanese spacecraft Kaguja has been collecting data on the celestial body for a year and a half, and by analyzing this information, scientists have discovered that carbon ions are emitted at almost every point on the surface, New Scientist writes.
Emissions are strongest on the vast basalt plains, while in the highlands the process is much weaker. The old regions are much younger formations and, due to their lower exposure to environmental conditions, they also have more carbon stocks.
The researchers compared the rate of carbon emissions and replacement (the Moon obtains carbon mainly through the solar wind and meteorites) and found that a little more carbon is lost in the celestial body than it is obtained from the outside. So the Moon should have much more carbon stocks than previously thought.
According to the discovery, the Moon contains volatile carbon that was either acquired during its formation or collected over a long period of time since its formation. Volatile compounds have a low boiling point and are generally present in the crust or atmosphere of celestial bodies.
Until now, the Moon was believed to have very little volatile carbon, and rock samples brought to Earth during Apollo programs also revealed that volatile elements were only present in the past to accompany our planet.
According to current theories, the Moon was created by a huge object the size of Mars that collided with the young Earth, and the debris that flew united into a new celestial body. However, during the cataclysm, there had to be a very high temperature that would have evaporated all the volatile compounds. In contrast, current results suggest that the Moon’s formation was not accompanied by extreme heat.
According to research published in the journal Science Advances, the models that explain the formation of the Moon should be reviewed.
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