Scientists and researchers felt the same way you likely did feel when they attained this conclusion. The conclusion could not have happened because one of the two most important elements to make rust is oxygen, which is absent on the Moon, another one is water.
The moon is getting rusty.
Scientists had the same reaction you probably did when they reached this conclusion. https://t.co/LkqXFJvgQ1
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) September 5, 2020
NASA made instrument used in India’s lunar probe
However, it has occurred, and evidence was there. In 2008, Chandrayaan-1, India’s lunar probe, circled around the Moon and collected data that latterly led to many discoveries in the years. One of the discoveries is that there were water molecules on the surface. Moreover, the probe even took a NASA made instrument that could recognize the mineral composition of the Moon.
When scientists at NASA and the Institute of Geophysics & Planetology of Hawaii recognized the data recently, after getting clues of hematite, scientists were shocked, an iron oxide (known as rust).
Furthermore, there are many iron-rich rocks on the Moon, but iron oxide (rust) is just formed as iron is exposed to water and oxygen.
Source: Web
Abigail Fraeman didn’t believe the happening
In a press release, a researcher at NASA’S Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Abigail Fraeman, said that in the beginning, he totally didn’t believe that conclusion and it should not exist based on the situations present on the Moon.
Rust is formed when oxygen electrons from iron and hydrogen make the opposite reaction by adding electrons, which conveys that it is all hard for rust to make on the hydrogen-rich Moon.
The study was published on Wednesday, the main author of the research is Shuai, who is working at the University of Hawaii, said that it is very puzzling. Besides this, the Moon is a dreadful atmosphere for hematite to form in.
After several months of study, NASA scientists and Li thought they have cracked it, and the primary answer to the secret lies in our planet.
One of the primary hints was more focused on the moon side that faces Earth and telling it was probably due to our own planet.
Earth, our planet, is covered in a magnetic field, and solar-wind stretches that magnetic bubble to make an extensive magnetic tail in downwind direction. Moreover, the Moon came in this tail 3 days ago, and it requires 6 days to pass through the tail and leave the tail on the other side.
In these 6 days, the magnetic tail of the Earth covers the surface of the Moon with electrons, and all types of strange matters could happen. And dust particles on the surface of the Moon could float off the ground, and the Moon dust particles could float into a dust storm, NASA says.
