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"For the first time, we have physical evidence showing us what was happening in the moon's interior during this critical stage of its evolution, and that's really exciting."
Over 4.2 billion years ago, the moon turned itself inside out to create the lunar surface that has become familiar to humanity.
Most scientists would agree the moon was created around 4.5 billion years ago, when another massive body in the solar system smashed into Earth, flinging molten material into space that coalesced as our natural satellite.
How the birth of the moon proceeded after this violent start, however, has been described as "more of a choose-your-own-adventure novel" by a team of scientists from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL).
They say there are many possible paths Earth's natural satellite could have taken to form in full, ultimately leading to the moon-Earth system we see today. The team of course has its own ideas about the major incidences that might have formed the moon. The researchers say rock samples collected during the Apollo mission, for instance, may indicate there was a time when the moon "flipped inside out."
www.space.com
Over 4.2 billion years ago, the moon turned itself inside out to create the lunar surface that has become familiar to humanity.
Most scientists would agree the moon was created around 4.5 billion years ago, when another massive body in the solar system smashed into Earth, flinging molten material into space that coalesced as our natural satellite.
How the birth of the moon proceeded after this violent start, however, has been described as "more of a choose-your-own-adventure novel" by a team of scientists from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL).
They say there are many possible paths Earth's natural satellite could have taken to form in full, ultimately leading to the moon-Earth system we see today. The team of course has its own ideas about the major incidences that might have formed the moon. The researchers say rock samples collected during the Apollo mission, for instance, may indicate there was a time when the moon "flipped inside out."
What happened when the moon 'turned itself inside out' billions of years ago?
"For the first time, we have physical evidence showing us what was happening in the moon's interior during this critical stage of its evolution, and that's really exciting."
