Oxygen from the earth turned out to be sent to the moon

A research team at Osaka University discovered "Earth's oxygen ions are being sent to the moon". This phenomenon is believed to continue since long ago when humanity was born.

Biogenic oxygen from Earth transported to the Moon by a wind of magnetospheric ions: Nature Astronomy
http://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-016-0026

Osaka University Graduate School of ScienceKentaro TeradaA professor's research group analyzed the gas around the moon from the observation data of the lunar exploration satellite Kaguya and confirmed that oxygen ions were contained. This oxygen ion has a different characteristic from the oxygen ion slightly present around the moon, and it is presumed that oxygen ions released from the earth reached the moon.

Of earthThe magnetosphereEarth-derived supplies exist in the plasma state. For this reason, oxygen ions are present in high concentration in the Earth's magnetosphere. Particles blew out of the sun on the other handSolar windThe magnetosphere spreads out in the direction away from the sun under the influence of the earth, and the substance from the earth exists in this part at a relatively high concentration.


Professor Terada's research group confirmed that the moon's oxygen ion concentration increases during the period when the moon revolving around the earth reaches the Earth's magnetosphere on the 27th day cycle. In other words, the oxygen ion concentration rises only for 5 days when the moon completely enters the earth's magnetosphere and is blocked from the influence of the solar wind, so it can be concluded that the oxygen ion of the moon is of earth origin.


The phenomenon that oxygen ions are sent from the earth to the moon is likely to have occurred from 2.4 billion years ago when Earth's oxygen concentration began to rise. Oxygen ions arriving at the moon may permeate the metal and exist as oxides, so it is pointed out that the moon may preserve traces of the atmosphere that covered the ancient earth.