Science

edbermac

(16,107 posts) Mon Oct 23, 2023, 07:07 PM Oct 2023

Rock collected by Apollo 17 astronauts reveals moon's true age

Lunar dust collected by Apollo 17 astronauts in the 1970s has revealed that the moon is 40 million years older than previously believed.

After landing on the moon on December 11, 1972, NASA astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt collected rocks and dust from the lunar surface. A new analysis of that sample detected zircon crystals and dated them to 4.46 billion years old. Previous estimates put the moon, formed by a massive celestial collision, at 4.425 billion years old.

The findings were published Monday in the journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/23/world/apollo-17-moon-age-crystals-scn/index.html

Can’t wait for the astros to get back there. 🚀 🌙

4 replies

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Rock collected by Apollo 17 astronauts reveals moon's true age (Original Post) edbermac Oct 2023 OP

What old geezer among us sdfernando Oct 2023 #1

Science, facts...aren't they amazing... Enter stage left Oct 2023 #2

You know, I was thinking the Moon was about due for a facelift. tclambert Oct 2023 #3

So I recently watched a short history of life on Earth on YouTube and learned many interesting Pepsidog Oct 2023 #4

sdfernando

(5,363 posts)

1. What old geezer among us

Reply to edbermac (Original post)

Mon Oct 23, 2023, 07:10 PM

Oct 2023

hasn’t “adjusted” their age by 21 billion years?

Enter stage left

(3,823 posts)

2. Science, facts...aren't they amazing...

Reply to edbermac (Original post)

Mon Oct 23, 2023, 07:18 PM

Oct 2023

If we could only get rePuqs to believe in them!

tclambert

(11,128 posts)

3. You know, I was thinking the Moon was about due for a facelift.

Reply to edbermac (Original post)

Mon Oct 23, 2023, 07:58 PM

Oct 2023

Pepsidog

(6,295 posts)

4. So I recently watched a short history of life on Earth on YouTube and learned many interesting

Reply to edbermac (Original post)

Mon Oct 23, 2023, 10:25 PM

Oct 2023

Last edited Tue Oct 24, 2023, 12:25 PM - Edit history (1)

things I never knew before. For example, Jupiter is kind of like a big brother protecting earth from meteor strikes. Jupiter’ is big, so big that 1,300 Earths could fit inside of it. Jupiters immense size and a gravitational pull attracts meteors that otherwise might wipe out Earth or us. So many random events had to occur to make conditions on Earth conducive to life from its distance from the sun to the spinning on its axis after colliding with the moon that the fact we exists at all is miraculous. So we are all miracles. I just wish we could act like it

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