A team of astronomers from Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, and MCCE, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Université, have discovered further evidence that the moon has an inner core similar to Earth’s. Their study, published in the journal Nature, involved analyzing data from various sources to create models of the moon’s inner parts.
In 2011, NASA planetary scientists used seismic data recorded by Apollo astronauts to predict the composition of the moon’s center. They suggested that there was a solid inner core with a radius of around 240 kilometers. The new research team used a variety of sources to make similar estimates and found evidence that closely matches the NASA results.
The researchers collected data from several space missions and lunar-based ranging experiments to create a likely profile of the moon’s interior. They input all of their data into a modeling application and ran multiple scenarios to see which corresponded most closely with real-world data. The model that fit most closely to observations revealed evidence of active overturn, where denser material is pulled closer to the core over time, forcing lighter material upward. This finding helps explain how many of the elements found in volcanic regions of the moon got there.
The other main finding was that the density of the inner core matched closely with that of Earth’s, suggesting it is likely made of iron. The models also showed that the inner core has a radius of approximately 258 kilometers and a density of approximately 7,822 kilograms per cubic meter. It also showed the outer core to be a fluid layer covering the inner core with a radius of 362 kilometers.
2023-05-06 00:00:04
Original from phys.org