A new discovery about the mysterious interior of the Moon

 The long-debated state of the Moon's inner core has finally been clarified. The latest research conducted by a team of scientists from France proves that it is, in fact, a solid ball with a density similar to that of iron.

This discovery could help resolve the long-standing debate over whether the Moon's inner core is solid or molten, and lead to a more accurate understanding of the history of the Moon and, by extension, the entire solar system.

Seismic data collected during the Apollo missions played a key role in these findings. Although their resolution was too low to precisely determine the state of the inner nucleus, they served as a basis for further research.

The team, led by astronomer Arthur Briot of the French National Center for Scientific Research, also used data from space missions and laser measurements of the distance to the Moon to create a detailed profile of the satellite, including the degree of its deformation and changes in its distance to Earth.

Analysis of the collected information showed that the Moon's core is very similar to the Earth's core - it has a liquid outer layer and a solid inner core. The radius of the latter is about 258 km, which is about 15 percent of the total radius of the Moon.

Moreover, the density of the inner core was estimated to be approximately 7822 kg/m3, very close to the density of iron. These findings confirm previous discoveries made by a team of NASA planetary scientists led by Renee Weber.

According to Briot, knowledge about the composition of the Moon's core is crucial to understanding the evolution of this celestial body's magnetic field. It is known that shortly after its formation, the Moon had a powerful magnetic field that gradually disappeared.

"The magnetic field is generated by movement and convection in the core, so what the Moon's core is made of has a large impact on how and why the magnetic field disappeared," explains the French scientist.

The discovery of the Moon's solid inner core with a density similar to iron is an important step towards better understanding the history and evolution of this satellite, and therefore the entire Solar System. This research may also help solve other mysteries related to the Moon.