Groundbreaking Apollo 17 Samples Unveil Stunning Revelation: Moon's Age Shatters Previous Beliefs

Get the latest updates from CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter and delve into the wonders of the universe with captivating reports on groundbreaking discoveries and scientific progress. According to research conducted on lunar dust acquired by Apollo 17 astronauts during the 1970s, it has been discovered that the age of the moon surpasses previous estimations by 40 million years.

Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of NASA collected rocks and dust from the lunar surface during their mission on December 11, 1972. A recent analysis of these samples revealed the presence of zircon crystals, which have been dated to be 4.46 billion years old. The age of the moon, previously estimated to be 4.425 billion years old and believed to have formed from a significant cosmic collision, has now been revised based on these findings. The research was published in the journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters on Monday.

"These crystals, which

is believed to represent, are considered the oldest known solids that were formed after the occurrence of the giant impact event. The significance lies in their ability to provide vital information about the lunar chronology, given their well-documented age," noted Philipp Heck, the senior author of the study and the Robert A. Pritzker Curator for Meteoritics and Polar Studies at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Audience members capture images of a screen displaying a video concerning China's lunar probe, Chang'e-5, during an event in Beijing on January 18, 2021. This gathering announced specific information regarding global access to lunar samples collected by the probe. (Photo credit: GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images)

China's upcoming lunar mission seeks to accomplish what no other nation has achieved before, showcasing its ambitious endeavors beyond space exploration. The tumultuous early stages of our solar system, when Earth was still evolving and expanding, were characterized by frequent collisions between rocky bodies. Around 4 billion years ago, a celestial object roughly the size of Mars collided with Earth, resulting in the formation of the moon as a sizable rocky fragment. Despite extensive research, pinpointing the exact timing of this significant incident has posed a challenge for scientists.

The rock on the Moon's surface could not form zircon crystals and survive due to the molten state caused by the impact of the Mars-size object hitting Earth. Heck, the senior director of the museum's Negaunee Integrative Research Center and a professor in the department of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago, explained that any crystals found on the Moon's surface must have formed after the lunar magma ocean had cooled.

"Otherwise, they would have been melted and their chemical signatures would be erased."

High-tech atomic analysis

Zhang and Bouvier teamed up with Heck and Greer to employ an advanced technique in nanoscale analysis to determine the chemical composition of the crystals and accurately determine the age of the moon.

A lunar zircon grain is shown under a microscope.

According to the study authors, this research conducted at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, represents the initial application of the atom probe tomography technique for dating crystals.

"In the process of atom probe tomography,

we commence by refining a segment of the lunar sample into an exceptionally sharp tip. This is accomplished using a focused ion beam microscope, operating akin to an exquisite pencil sharpener," noted Greer, who contributed to the investigation as a doctoral candidate at the Field Museum and the University of Chicago. "Subsequently, we employ UV lasers to vaporize atoms from the surface of said tip. These atoms traverse through a mass spectrometer, and their velocity provides insights into their weight, thereby revealing their elemental composition."

In this photograph taken during NASA's final lunar landing mission in the Apollo program, the crescent Earth can be seen rising above the lunar horizon. The photo was captured from the Apollo 17 spacecraft in lunar orbit. Astronauts Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt were exploring the Taurus-Littrow region of the moon in the Lunar Module "Challenger," while astronaut Ronald E. Evans stayed in lunar orbit with the Command and Service Modules "America." The mission took place from 7-19 December 1972.

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The analysis revealed the extent of uranium atom decay in zircon crystals. Elements can undergo transformation when their atoms possess an unstable combination of protons and neutrons, resulting in decay, like uranium transforming into lead. Through monitoring the duration of this process, scientists can ascertain the age of an object by comparing the ratio of uranium to lead atoms.

"The Moon's oldest part"

The research team utilized lead isotopes found in the lunar dust sample to establish that the crystals had an age of 4.46 billion years, implying that the moon is at least that ancient.

"It's truly astonishing to possess evidence that the rock you're currently holding represents the oldest piece of the Moon we have discovered thus far," Greer remarked. "It serves as a pivotal reference point for numerous inquiries regarding our planet. Understanding the age of an object allows for a deeper comprehension of the events it has undergone throughout history."

Jennika Greer, a research associate in Earth sciences at the University of Glasgow, is the lead study author. She currently works at the Northwestern University Center for Atom-Probe Tomography in Evanston, Illinois.

The lunar samples, which were brought back to Earth over 50 years ago, have required a significant amount of time to develop the necessary technology for conducting a thorough analysis of the crystals. Hence, NASA has chosen to only recently open some of the untouched samples gathered during the Apollo era, enabling a deeper understanding of our planet's natural satellite through cutting-edge techniques.

"The Moon plays a crucial role in our planetary system," stated Heck. "It is responsible for stabilizing Earth's rotational axis, determining the duration of a day to be 24 hours, and causing the phenomenon of tides. Absence of the Moon would bring significant alterations to life on Earth. It constitutes an integral aspect of our natural system that demands enhanced comprehension, and our study offers a minuscule fragment of that intricate puzzle."