US EditionDust From Far Side of the Moon Could Reveal More About Origin of Water in Our Solar System
Researchers confirmed CI-like chondrites in Chang’e-6 lunar soil, linking rare meteorites to the Moon’s far side and suggesting outer Solar System material migration, study shows.
- On October 21, Chinese scientists identified rare meteorite relics in Chang'e-6 lunar samples whose chemical fingerprint matched CI-like carbonaceous chondrites.
- Because the Moon has almost no atmosphere, the Chang'e-6 lunar mission returned 1,935.3 grams of samples from the South Pole-Aitken Basin in 2024, preserving a pristine record.
- Researchers sifted two grams of moon dust, measured metal ratios of iron, manganese and zinc, and used a SIMS to confirm the fragments formed as impact melts.
- The study suggests Earth's meteorite record is biased, and finding CI-like, water-rich asteroids implies more volatile-rich impacts on Earth and the Moon than estimated.
- The study, led by Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry , was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and established systematic methods for identifying meteoritic materials, highlighting CI chondrites' rarity .
13 Articles
13 Articles
China Found Something Fascinating on the Far Side of the Moon
China’s Chang’e-6 mission, the first sample return mission to the far side of the Moon last year, made a fascinating discovery. While poring over the returned lunar samples, which arrived on Earth in June of last year, scientists found fragments of carbonaceous chondrite (CI chondrite), which once belonged to a water-bearing meteorite that only rarely survives the journey through the Earth’s atmosphere, as ScienceAlert reports. It’s the first ti…
Chinese scientists discover rare meteorite fragments on Moon from outer solar system
Chinese scientists have recently made an astonishing discovery in researching lunar soil samples, which were brought back by the Chang'e-6 mission. The study found evidence of uncommon CI chondrites, a class of carbonaceous meteorites which come from the outer reaches of the Solar System. The CI chondrites have water and organic compounds inside them, which are considered vital ingredients for any life to exist. The evidence, reported in the Pro…
Dust from far side of the moon could reveal more about origin of water in our solar system
Dust brought back to Earth by China's Chang'e-6 mission contains rare meteorite relics that could change our understanding of sources of water and other life-essential ingredients in our solar system.
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