Scientists pin down the origins of the moon’s tenuous atmosphere

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Scientists pin down the origins of the moon’s tenuous atmosphere

The barely-there lunar atmosphere is likely the product of meteorite impacts over billions of years, a new study finds.

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While the moon lacks any breathable air, it does host a barely-there atmosphere. Since the 1980s, astronomers have observed a very thin layer of atoms bouncing over the moon’s surface. This delicate atmosphere — technically known as an “exosphere” — is likely a product of some kind of space weathering. But exactly what those processes might be has been difficult to pin down with any certainty.

Now, scientists at MIT and the University of Chicago say they have identified the main process that formed the moon’s atmosphere and continues to sustain it today. In a study appearing today in Science Advances, the team reports that the lunar atmosphere is primarily a product of “impact vaporization.”

Read More: ➡️ Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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