Chandrayaan-1: According to a recent study performed by planetary scientist Shuai Li of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Earth may have assisted the Moon in obtaining water. The High energy electrons in Earth’s plasma sheet may be helping to produce water on the Moon’s surface, according to data from India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. The study, which was published in Nature Astronomy, may offer essential details on how the Moon formed and evolved as well as prospective resources for further human exploration.
High Energy Electrons in Earth’s Plasma Sheet
High energy electrons are known to exist in the Earth’s plasma sheet, a region of the magnetosphere loaded with trapped charged particles. It is thought that these electrons have a big impact on how the lunar surface weathers. The magnetosphere, a region of space governed by the magnetic field of the Earth, acts as a barrier against solar radiation injury and space weathering. In the past, researchers have mostly concentrated on how high energy ions affect how the Moon and other airless bodies weather in space. One of the main causes for the production of water on the Moon is thought to be the solar wind, which is made up of high energy particles like protons and continuously bombards the lunar surface. However, according to Li’s research, there might be additional processes or water sources that aren’t directly connected to the implantation of solar wind protons.
Earth’s Magnetotail and Lunar Water Formation
“To my surprise, the remote sensing observations showed that the water formation in Earth’s magnetotail is almost identical to the time when the Moon was outside of the Earth’s magnetotail,” said Li. “This indicates that, in the magnetotail, there may be additional formation processes or new sources of water not directly associated with the implantation of solar wind protons. In particular, radiation by high energy electrons exhibits similar effects as the solar wind protons,” Li added.
Unveiling Earth-Moon Connections
The complex and previously unknown relationships between Earth and its Moon are shown by this study as well as Li’s earlier studies about the rusting of iron in the Moon’s polar regions as a result of oxygen in Earth’s magnetotail. As the Moon travels through various phases of Earth’s magnetotail, Li intends to continue this research through NASA‘s Artemis programmes with the goal of tracking the plasma environment and water content on the lunar polar surface.
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER
