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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Ancient Moon Had Earthlike Core?


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A 4.2-billion-year-old moon rock (above) may have solved the mystery of the moon's magnetic field, scientists said in January 2009.

A new analysis of the rock shows it had a history of longer, slower cooling periods, suggesting the moon has an Earthlike core that drives its magnetic field.

Photograph courtesy Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science/NASA