The Moon has been stealing Earth’s atmosphere for billions of years
For billions of years, Earth has been quietly sharing parts of its atmosphere with the Moon, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to new research from the University of Rochester, published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment, atoms from Earth’s upper air have been drifting through space and settling into the Moon’s dusty surface, leaving behind a long-hidden record of our planet’s past.
Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that stretches far into space. When the solar wind rushes past our planet, it knocks loose tiny charged particles from the outer edge of Earth’s atmosphere. These particles include light elements such as hydrogen, nitrogen, and noble gases.
As the Moon moves through the long tail of Earth’s magnetic field, some of these particles are guided toward it. They travel along invisible magnetic paths and eventually land on the Moon, becoming trapped in the lunar soil.
Scientists once believed this transfer mainly happened very early in Earth’s history, before the planet developed a strong magnetic field. The new study shows something different. Earth’s magnetic field does not only protect the atmosphere. It can also help channel some atmospheric particles into space.
The research suggests this exchange has been happening steadily for billions of years, not just during a short ancient phase. Under today’s conditions, the process is actually more effective than in the distant past, when intense solar activity pushed more solar material toward the Moon and limited Earth’s contribution.
Moon samples brought back by the Apollo missions contain unusual amounts of certain elements that do not match what comes from the Sun alone. The new findings show these extra elements fit well with an Earth origin.
Because the Moon has no wind, rain, or active geology, these particles can remain locked in the soil for immense stretches of time.
The slow but constant transfer means the Moon may hold more useful materials than once believed. Substances like water and nitrogen, delivered over billions of years, could help support future astronauts living and working on the Moon. Using local resources would reduce the need to transport everything from Earth.
At the same time, studying lunar soil could offer scientists a rare window into how Earth’s atmosphere changed over time, shedding light on the evolution of climate, oceans, and life itself.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the Chinese scientists unraveled the mystery behind the unusually cohesive lunar soil retrieved by China's Chang'e-6 mission from the far side of the moon.
