A Spherule from the Earth's Moon

COLLECTION NAME:

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

mediaCollectionId

NVA2~4~4

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

Collection

true

Title:

A Spherule from the Earth's Moon

title

A Spherule from the Earth's Moon

Title

false

Explanation:

How did this spherule come to be on the Moon? When a meteorite [ http://www.nineplan… ] strikes the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ], the energy of the impact [ http://science.nasa… ] melts some of the splattering rock [ http://www.teachers… ], a fraction of which might cool into tiny glass beads [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ]. Many of these glass beads [ http://www.geocitie… ] were present in lunar soil samples [ http://www-curator.… ] returned to Earth by the Apollo missions [ http://www.nasm.edu… ]. Pictured above [ http://www.lbl.gov/… ] is one such glass spherule [ http://www.hyperdic… ] that measures only a quarter of a millimeter [ http://lamar.colost… ] across. This spherule [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] is particularly interesting because it has been victim to an even smaller impact. A miniature crater [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] is visible on the upper left, surrounded by a fragmented area caused by the shockwaves [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] of the small impact. By dating [ http://www.dc.peach… ] many of these impacts, some astronomers estimate [ http://www.lbl.gov/… ] that cratering [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] on our Moon increased [ http://www.sciencen… ] roughly 500 million years ago and continues even today.

explanation

How did this spherule come to be on the Moon? When a meteorite [ http://www.nineplanets.org/meteorites.html ] strikes the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/moon.html ], the energy of the impact [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast30nov_1.htm ] melts some of the splattering rock [ http://www.teachersource.com/micrometeorites.htm ], a fraction of which might cool into tiny glass beads [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ]. Many of these glass beads [ http://www.geocities.com/ladysveva/BeadHistory.html ] were present in lunar soil samples [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar.htm ] returned to Earth by the Apollo missions [ http://www.nasm.edu/apollo/ ]. Pictured above [ http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/lunar-spherule.html ] is one such glass spherule [ http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/spherule ] that measures only a quarter of a millimeter [ http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/everyday.htm ] across. This spherule [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040210.html ] is particularly interesting because it has been victim to an even smaller impact. A miniature crater [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990711.html ] is visible on the upper left, surrounded by a fragmented area caused by the shockwaves [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010623.html ] of the small impact. By dating [ http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~pgore/geology/geo102/radio.htm ] many of these impacts, some astronomers estimate [ http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/lunar-spherule.html ] that cratering [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010428.html ] on our Moon increased [ http://www.sciencenews.org/20000311/fob3.asp ] roughly 500 million years ago and continues even today.

Explanation

false

Credit and Copyright:

Timothy Culler (UCB [ http://eps.berkeley… ]) et al., Apollo 11 Crew [ http://www.hq.nasa.… ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]

credit_and_copyright

Timothy Culler (UCB [ http://eps.berkeley.edu/www/index.html ]) et al., Apollo 11 Crew [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a11/a11.crew.html ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]

Credit and Copyright

false

facet_where:

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

facet_where

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

facet_where

false

facet_what:

Apollo 11

facet_what

Apollo 11

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false

original url:

http://antwrp.gsfc.…

original_url

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040215.html

original url

false

UID:

SPD-APOD-ap040215

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SPD-APOD-ap040215

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false

MEDIA INFORMATION

A Spherule from the Earth's Moon