The ancient moon found a strong magnetic field
The planetary community from the USA showed that approximately three billion years ago the Moon had its own magnetic field. On the force it was comparable to the field of the planet. A study published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, briefly about it, reports NASA.
Own magnetic field of the Earth satellite had for about a billion years, and in its power it was comparable to the field of the planet. The existence in ancient times the magnetic field of the moon was, as in the case of the Earth, caused by the Dynamo effect.
In the centre of the satellite, scientists believe, was heated molten Nickel-iron core with impurities of carbon and sulfur. Crystallization led to the release of heat, which probably led to the emergence of streams of heated matter in the interior of the satellite and the appearance of a magnetic field.
Experts have conducted experiments with the substance, which, in their opinion, can form the core, and determined the proportions of iron, Nickel, carbon, and sulfur in it. Information about the composition of lunar rocks the moon, the scientists also obtained from samples taken from the satellite during the Apollo mission.
Currently the moon has practically no intrinsic magnetic field, and its core consists of a solid core and liquid shell. It is known that at the present time in the Solar system except for mercury, Earth and the four gas giants own magnetosphere has yet Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter.