Atmosphere of the Moon
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The atmosphere of the Moon is very tenuous and insignificant in comparison to that of the Earth. One source of the lunar atmosphere is outgassing—the release of gases such as radon that originate by radioactive decay processes within the crust and mantle. Another important source is generated through the process of sputtering, which involves the bombardment of micrometeorites, solar wind ions, electrons, and sunlight.[1] Gases that are released by sputtering can either reimplant into the regolith as a cause of the Moon's gravity, or can be lost to space either by solar radiation pressure or by being swept away by the solar wind magnetic field if they are ionized. The elements sodium (Na) and potassium (K) have been detected using earth-based spectroscopic methods, whereas the element radon-222 and polonium-210 have been inferred from data obtained from the Lunar Prospector alpha particle spectrometer.[2] Argon-40, He-4, O and/or CH4, N2 and/or CO, and CO2 were detected by in-situ detectors placed by the Apollo astronauts.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ P. Lucey and 12 coauthors (2006). "Understanding the lunar surface and space-Moon interactions". Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry 60: 83-219.
- ^ S. Lawson, W. Feldman, D. Lawrence, K. Moore, R. Elphic, and R. Belian (2005). "Recent outgassing from the lunar surface: the Lunar Prospector alpha particle spectrometer". J. Geophys. Res. 110: doi:10.1029/2005JE002433.
- ^ S. Alan Stern (1999). "The Lunar atmosphere: History, status, current problems, and context". Rev. Geophys. 37: 453-491.
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