Overview
- Researchers report a two-layer core: a fluid outer shell about 362 kilometers thick surrounding a solid inner sphere with a radius near 258 kilometers.
- The solid inner core’s density is estimated at roughly 7,822 kilograms per cubic meter, consistent with an iron-rich composition.
- Together the core layers account for about 15% of the Moon’s radius, refining long-debated models of lunar interior structure.
- Findings indicate the Moon generated a strong early magnetic field that later faded as the interior cooled and dynamo action ceased.
- The peer-reviewed work, led by Arthur Briaud and published in Nature, consolidates a 2011 NASA proposal by providing more robust evidence.