Meteorites give the Moon its extremely thin atmosphere

Quick Summary:

Impacts that vaporize bits of the lunar surface maintain the Moon's thin atmosphere.

Though some of these atoms escape into space and others fall back to the surface, those that do remain above the Moon create a thin atmosphere that keeps being replenished as more meteorites crash into the surface.

But it is thought to presently be maintaining its tenuous atmosphere—also known as an exosphere—because of meteorite impacts.

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Article Details

Author / Journalist: Elizabeth Rayne

Category: Technology

Markets: United States

Topics: Meteors Astronomy Atmosphere Science Planetary science Impacts The Moon

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Neutral

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2024-08-17 @ 11:05:12 (15 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT -5:00

News Source URL: arstechnica.com

Language: English

Article Length: 155 words

Reading Time: 1 minutes read

Sentences: 40 lines

Sentence Length: 4 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © Ars Technica

News ID: 22116495

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