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The Moon is quietly collecting Earth’s escaping air, study finds
- New simulations show Earth’s atmosphere slowly leaks and can accumulate on the Moon’s near side over billions of years.
- The team used computer simulations to show how charged atoms escape Earth and reach the Moon, especially during magnetic-tail passages.
- During brief monthly alignments, the Moon travels through Earth’s magnetotail, guiding escaping atoms toward its surface.
- Regolith on the Moon traps incoming atoms, slowing them and locking them into the soil over time.
- Lunar samples from Apollo 14 and 17 helped validate the simulations by showing distinct Earth-derived isotopes.
- Isotopic analysis distinguishes Earth-origin atoms from those formed in the solar wind.
- The study describes the Moon acting as a time capsule for parts of Earth’s ancient atmosphere.
- Future missions could test Earth-derived gases directly on the Moon to support life-support and propulsion needs.
- The research connects space physics, magnetic fields, and lunar geology in understanding Earth–Moon exchanges.
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