Tag: magma ocean
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How Planets Get Wet: Water Creation During Planet Formation
Introduction: A Wet Start for Planets For years, scientists have wondered how rocky planets acquire their water—whether it is delivered after formation by comets and asteroids, or whether water can emerge in the early molten stages of planet building. Recent work published in Nature by researchers affiliated with Carnegie and other institutions suggests a compelling…
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How Planets Get Wet: Water Formation During Planetary Birth
Introduction: The Curious Question of Wet Planets From our own world to distant exoplanets, the presence of liquid water is a defining factor for habitability. But how do planets acquire their water in the first place? Recent research published in Nature by Carnegie scientists suggests a compelling mechanism: water can be generated during the planet’s…
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Moon SPA Basin Reimagined: New Clues on the Largest Crater
New View of the Moon’s Largest Crater New research published in Nature is prompting scientists to rethink how the Moon’s largest known impact basin, the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, formed. Measuring more than 1,200 miles across, the SPA has long been a focal point for understanding the Moon’s early history. The latest analysis argues that…
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Southward Impact Reveals Magma Ocean in Moon’s Pole-Aitken
Overview: A New Clue About the Moon’s Largest Crater For decades, scientists have studied the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, the Moon’s most expansive impact feature. A new study, published in Nature, upends a long-standing assumption about how this colossal crater formed. By analyzing the basin’s asymmetry and the distribution of radioactive materials, researchers argue that…
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New Clues from Moon’s Largest Crater: Southward Impact Exposed Magma Ocean on the Moon
Hidden History beneath the Moon’s Largest Crater Scientists have long studied the South Pole-Aitken basin (SPA) as a window into the Moon’s formative years. New research published in Nature suggests the basin’s distinctive shape and composition tell a story of a magma ocean at the Moon’s endgame and of an impact that came from the…
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Southward Impact Revealed Magma Ocean Clue at Moon’s Largest Crater
Revisiting the Moon’s Biggest Crater The Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin (SPA), the largest known impact feature in our solar system, has long been a subject of fascination for planetary scientists. Recent research digging into the basin’s shape and composition suggests a surprising twist: the basin’s oblong form and the distribution of interior materials point to…
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New Moon Findings Hint SPA Basin Holds Deepest Lunar Secrets
Unveiling the Moon’s Largest Crater The South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin is not just the Moon’s largest impact feature by size; its shape and composition may hold the key to rewriting lunar history. A recent study led by Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna at the University of Arizona argues that the SPA region sits on the downrange rim of…
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Artemis at SPA: Could a Moon Impact Rewrite Our Origin Story?
Introduction: A New Look at an Ancient Moon As NASA’s Artemis program prepares to touch down near the Moon’s south pole, a bold question guides researchers: could the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin hold the deepest clues about the Moon’s origin? A team led by Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna at the University of Arizona argues that SPA sits…
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Massive Moon crater could rewrite the Moon’s origin story
New clues from the Moon’s largest crater A fresh interpretation of the Moon’s oldest giant impact hinges on the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin, the largest known impact structure in the solar system. Led by planetary scientist Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna of the University of Arizona, the study argues that the downrange rim of SPA lies near the…