The discovery of traces of indigenous gas in a meteorite sheds light on the origin of the moon

The formation of the Moon is generally attributed to a collision between Earth and another celestial object. The Moon is more closely related to the Earth than previously thought, according to a new study. 

A team of scientists from ETH Zurich recently found that the moon inherited certain noble gases from deep within the Earth's mantle, including neon and helium. Analyzing lunar meteorites found in Antarctica led to the discovery.

The team found that the traces of noble gases found in meteorites matched those in solar gases. The findings may help astronomers better understand how Earth, Moon, and other celestial bodies formed.

The study, published in Science Advances, was carried out by doctoral researcher Patrizia Will who studied six lunar meteorites she collected from Antarctica.

The basalt rock that makes up these celestial bodies is formed when magma spews out of the Moon's interior and cools rapidly. Multiple layers of basalt protected them from cosmic rays, especially solar wind. 

The cooling process led to the formation of lunar glass particles and other materials in the magma. Analysis of the glass particles revealed chemical fingerprints or isotopic signatures of the solar gases.

The Moon's interior contains helium and neon. Solar gases were found for the first time in basaltic materials from the Moon that are not related to exposure on the lunar surface, said Will.

The Noble Gas Laboratory at ETH Zurich provided an advanced mass spectrometer for the team to use. Their instrument measured the sub-millimeter glass particles and ruled out solar winds as a possible source of the detected gases.

“The study of heavy noble gases and isotopes in meteoritic materials will be in high demand,” says ETH Zurich Professor Henner Busemann, one of the world's leading experts in extracranial noble gas geochemistry.

The professor noted that such gases are not required for life, but it would be fascinating to learn how they survived the brutal Moon's formation. In addition, it will allow scientists to develop more models to explain how the process works.