After a closer look at the data, Lee discovered minerals, hematite, at the moon’s poles – with more abundance from near the far side of the earth.
Hematite is the primary ore of iron – in its pure state hematite is composed of 70% iron and 30% oxygen. To produce rust, iron must be in contact with both oxygen and water.
“It’s very surprising,” Lee said. “The moon is a terrible environment for hematite to form.”
Lee interviewed NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists, Abigail Framman and Vivian Sun to help confirm his hematite discovery.
“At first I couldn’t believe it,” Framman said. That shouldn’t be based on conditions on the moon, but when we find water on the moon, people are speculating that there may be more diversity. Of minerals if we understand that it reacts with water rocks. “
Scientists believe that the discovery of rust on the moon is related to the Earth’s atmosphere. The study explains that the Moon has a “level of oxygen” due to the Earth’s magnetic field – it dubs a magnetotel – which carries the Earth’s magnetic field currents as it flows through the Solar System and can split into the Moon, leaving oxygen off the planet’s atmosphere.
Next comes the issue of water. But the team of scientists thinks it is the result of dust particles scattered on the surface of the moon, releasing water molecules, which then merge with the iron on the earth’s surface. NASA explained that heat as well as oxidation rates could increase. On the other hand, hydrogen, which acts as a rust suppressor and is carried by the solar wind, can cause potential problems.
However, the chemical reaction to corrosion can only occur when the moon, at some point in the lunar phase, “ieled with solar wind and oxygen is present”.
More conclusions need to be drawn and more information needs to be gathered about how the interactions take place, and in particular to answer the question of how the dark side of the moon forms hematite – where the Earth’s oxygen does not reach.“I think these results suggest that more complex chemical processes are taking place in our solar system than previously thought.” “To test these hypotheses we can better understand them by sending future missions to the moon.”
For a better understanding of science, check out pictures of galaxies that look like Darth Vader’s TIE fighters, read about the mysterious jet pack man seen near Los Angeles and learn more about the existence of aliens.
Jesse Wade is the homepage editor at IGN and a science gay man who loves the moon. Chat with him on Twitter jessieannwade.
