|
 |
 advertisement
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Moon X-rays Seen by Chandra
By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 03:00 pm ET
16 September 2003
|
EMBARGOED FOR 1 p The Chandra X-ray Observatory, known for observing otherwise invisible objects in the far corners of the cosmos, was turned on the Earth's celestial neighbor, the Moon. The telescope imaged a mottled batch of X-rays coming off the lit portion of the Moon. The lunar X-rays are caused by fluorescence, much like how light is produced in fluorescent lamps. Solar X-rays bombard the surface of the Moon and knock electrons out of the inner parts of the atoms. Other electrons rush to fill the gaps, and their energy is converted into fluorescent X-rays. The study was done as a test, to prove that the fluorescence could be detected. More detailed and lengthy X-ray observations would be needed to contribute significantly to our knowledge of the Moon. The results were presented in a press conference today at a " Four Years with Chandra" symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.Jeremy Drake of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics led the work. He said the results were about what was expected based on findings from the Apollo era. An analysis of the X-rays reveals the presence of oxygen, magnesium, aluminum and silicon over a large area of the lunar surface. More important, the technique promises to be "a nice way to map out the composition of the Moon in much greater detail" than has been done, Drake said. That could help settle a long-running debate about how the Moon formed. The leading theory holds that the Moon was created shortly after Earth's formation when a Mars-sized object slammed into the planet. A better accounting of the Moon's makeup is needed to solidify the theory.The technique could also be turned on asteroids, Drake said. Pinning down their compositions would help scientists better understand how the solar system formed. Chandra has previously made X-ray images of Mars and Venus. More Deep Space NewsSpace MailbagAstronotes
|
|
|
|
|
