研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，月球在“內部發(fā)電機”停機后，磁場消失了10億年

研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，月球在“內部發(fā)電機”停機后，磁場消失了10億年

The Moon likely lost its magnetic field after an internal dynamo stopped firing 1 billion years ago, according to a new study.

一項新的研究表明，10億年前，月球內部的一臺發(fā)電機停止工作后，可能失去了磁場。

The research, published in Science Advances, looks at rocks from Earth’s lunar satellite that were melted by an impact and found that measurements taken from these rocks show a significantly weak magnetic field, just 0.1 microteslas, approximately 1 billion years ago.

這項研究發(fā)表在《科學進展》(Science Advances)雜志上，研究了地球月球衛(wèi)星上因撞擊而融化的巖石，發(fā)現(xiàn)從這些巖石上測量到的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，大約10億年前，只有0.1個微特斯拉(microteslas)的磁場非常弱。

“Combined with previous paleointensity estimates, this indicates that the lunar dynamo likely ceased sometime between ~1.92 and ~0.80 Ga ago,” the researchers wrote in the study’s abstract. “The protracted lifetime of the lunar magnetic field indicates that the late dynamo was likely powered by crystallization of the lunar core.”

研究人員在研究摘要中寫道:“結合之前的古強度估計，這表明月球的發(fā)電機可能在大約1.92 ~0.80 Ga之間的某個時間停止工作。月球磁場的延長壽命表明，晚期的發(fā)電機可能是由月球核心的結晶提供動力。”

Previous research found that the magnetic field on the Moon was 100 microteslas approximately 4 billion years ago, roughly double that of present-day Earth.

先前的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，大約40億年前，月球上的磁場是100微特斯拉，大約是現(xiàn)在地球磁場的兩倍。

The Moon is thought to be 4.5 billion years old, but a separate study published in August 2018 suggests that the satellite could be 100 million years older than previously thought.

月球被認為有45億年的歷史，但2018年8月發(fā)表的另一項研究表明，這顆衛(wèi)星可能比之前認為的要老1億年。

Speaking with Newsweek, one of the study’s authors, Benjamin Weiss, said the magnetic field likely helped protect the Moon from the Sun’s solar wind.

該研究的作者之一本杰明·韋斯在接受《新聞周刊》采訪時表示，磁場可能有助于保護月球免受太陽太陽風的傷害。

“This may have prevented the surface from being space weathered and the soil becoming rich in solar gases like it is today,” Weiss told the news outlet. Furthermore, the Moon was likely about twice as close to the Earth during the time the Moon was inferred to have a strong magnetic field compared today.”

“這可能阻止了地表被太空風化，土壤中富含像今天這樣的太陽氣體，”Weiss告訴新聞媒體。此外，據(jù)推斷，與今天的月球相比，當時月球離地球的距離可能是現(xiàn)在的兩倍。”

It’s unclear why the internal dynamo stopped or what caused the magnetic shield to erode.

目前還不清楚內部發(fā)電機為何停止工作，也不清楚是什么原因導致了磁屏蔽被侵蝕。

In July, NASA revealed details of its vision for the Artemis Moon lander that will return U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024.

今年7月，美國國家航空和宇宙航行局(NASA)公布了有關阿爾特彌斯(Artemis)月球著陸器計劃的細節(jié)，該著陸器將于2024年讓美國宇航員重返月球表面。

The Artemis program aims to land American astronauts on the Moon by 2024 and establish a sustainable human presence on Earth’s natural satellite. Artemis will also make history by landing the first woman on the Moon.

阿爾特彌斯計劃的目標是到2024年讓美國宇航員登陸月球，并在地球的自然衛(wèi)星上建立一個可持續(xù)的人類存在。阿爾忒彌斯還將創(chuàng)造歷史，讓第一位女性登上月球。

Initial mission capability for 2024 involves landing two astronauts on the Moon’s South Pole. Astronauts will live and work out of the lander for 6.5 days, according to NASA.

2024年的初始任務能力包括讓兩名宇航員登陸月球南極。美國宇航局稱，宇航員將在著陸器外生活和工作6.5天。

Longer-term, the Lander will need to transport four people to the lunar South Pole.

長期而言，著陸器將需要運送四個人到月球南極。