2024-07-04 13:14:48
Outside of Earth, there is a strange phenomenon that still cannot be fully explained, the so-called “lunar vortices”, but what causes them? Now, scientists from Stanford and Washington University in St. Louis (WUSL) suggest just that There is a hidden force inside the Moon.
In fact, there is an explanation made by the experts for a moon spin that makes sense, but that still leaves some doubts.
It turns out that, like Earth, The Moon does not have a global magnetic field that protects it from particles from the Sun, causing its rocks and dust to darken over time due to chemical reactions. However, some areas were not dark and still light.
Scientists say yes These unobscured spaces coincide with small “local magnetic fields”.. But, after further analysis, they noticed that Not all rocks reflect the Sun’s particles, and not all small magnetic fields have rifts clear
Some research has suggested that the effects of microhematites would be creating these local magnetic barriers, but the Stanford and WUSL team question this theory and confirm that it is. another unknown force has “magnetized” the blacksmiths.
Is there a hidden force inside the Moon?
WUSL planetary scientist Michael Krawczynski says the possibility exists that micrometeorites could produce these anomalies, “but There are some swirls that we are not sure how the impact could create the shape and size of that thing.“, pick up Science Alert.
The expert suggests that they may actually be hidden forces beneath the lunar crust. “Another theory than that There is underground lava that cools slowly in a magnetic field and creates the magnetic anomaly.“, Explain.
Furthermore, this theory is supported by the fact that, in fact, Beneath the lunar crust, evidence of molten rock was foundwhich would explain that long ago rivers of magma were circulating.
The researchers used magma cooling models and observed that a mineral called ilmenite (oxide of iron and titanium) can produce magnetization in this process. Ilmenite is abundant on the Moon and also in volcanic rocks.
The study, published in the journal Journal of Geophysical Research: Planetsdescribe, under the right conditions, Cooling of ilmenite can trigger iron and nickel grains within the Moon’s crust and upper mantlecreating a magnetic field.
The latter “could explain the strong magnetic regions associated with the lunar vortex,” says Krawczynski.
“We have seen indications that this reaction creates iron metals in lunar meteorites and lunar samples from the Apollo missions. But all of these samples are surface lava flows, and our study shows that underground cooling should contribute significantly to these metal-forming reactions,” they say in the paper.
To learn more about these magnetic anomalies, Experts hope to learn more from field missionsbecause the data obtained from these local magnetic fields is mostly information collected by space probes in lunar orbit, not direct samples.
NASA will launch a rover in 2025 as part of the ‘Lunar Vertex’ space mission, and will explore the terrain in the Reiner Gamma Whirlpoolso they will soon be able to find evidence or throw this theory out.
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