On a general level, astronomers have some certainty about the age of the Moon. This body was born approximately 4.5 billion years ago. It is only slightly younger than Earth. However, as scientists date the satellite’s age more precisely, the results fluctuate. For example, the most accurate dating of a sample of lunar soil is 4.35 billion years old, but a study published in the scientific journal has recently emerged. Nature which extends the age range to 4,530 million years.
Estimating the age of the Moon is a challenge due to several factors, but its origin is the most notable. The most accepted theory about the emergence of the Earth’s satellite is that it is the byproduct of a massive collision during the planet’s early years. A body roughly the size of Mars impacted a proto-Earth and, from that titanic blow, material from both bodies was expelled into space. This material ended up joining and solidifying to form the Moon.
Determining the moment of the birth of the Moon is, in reality, finding the moment of that collision at the beginning of the solar system. The process is complicated by considering that, during the first million years after it compacted into a body, the Moon was a large magmatic ocean. The solidification of this material is known as refusion, and its main current evidence is crystalline minerals, among which zircons stand out.
Dating crystals such as zircons is currently one of the best methods for estimating the true age of the Moon. An analysis of the material would reveal when the satellite’s floor was incandescent lava. The process has proven to be effective. However, recent studies, such as Naturehave found evidence of at least two remelting events on the Moon. With each one of them, the satellite gains a kind of cape that resets its age counter.
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