Our Moon is the debris from an ancient collision, China's Chang'e 6 reveals

15-Apr-2025

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Lunar regolith brought from the Moon by China's Chang'e 6 mission has revealed that the Moon is formed from the remains of an ancient collision between an object with Earth.

In a study, published in the journal Nature, researchers noted that the water contents of the lunar interior record are important clues for understanding the formation and subsequent thermochemical evolution of the Moon.

The findings bolster the theory that the moon formed when a giant, Mars-size protoplanet slammed into the young Earth about 4.5 billion years ago.

"The new estimate for the lunar farside mantle represents a landmark for estimating the water abundance of the bulk silicate Moon, providing critical constraints on the giant impact origin hypothesis, and the subsequent evolution of the Moon for which the role of water is central," the paper read.