Have you ever taken a look at the moon and thought How Old is our Moon? Probably not! The moon, a big shiny ball is the closest celestial body to our earth. In research, it has been found out that our solar system is about 4.56 billion years old. The moon, as per another research was found out to have formed about 150 million years after the formation of the solar system. Now, new research reveals that the moon might have formed much earlier than we predicted earlier.
A new study held by scientists at the University of Cologne in Germany found out that after the formation of the solar system 4.56 billion years ago, the moon was formed 4.51 billion years ago. The study got published in Nature Geoscience Journal.
What is the basis of the study?
Do you remember about the Apollo missions by NASA? Well, during these missions, the soil on the moon was picked out and brought back to earth. Scientists, upon analyzing the chemical composition of a diverse range of samples have found out these results.
On 21 July 1969, mankind took its first steps on the moon. The few hours which the Apollo 11 crew spent there, they collected 21.55 Kg of samples.
Why is it important?
The next question which arises is why does it matter about How Old is our Moon? It matters because it will help the scientists figure out how early did earth form after the formation of the solar system.
A clear idea of it can also be found out when humans first land on Mars. The soil on Mars could very well help us to determine how old is our earth.
How did the moon form?
There have been many speculations as to how our moon formed. One of the most probable ones is that a Mars-sized planetary body collided with earth resulting in the formation of the moon.
Currently, Chandrayan 2, a new mission by ISRO has been launched into space to find out whether or not, the southern side of the moon contains water.
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