Moon found to be rusting due to oxygen wind from earth, study finds

The Moon is slowly rusting and Earth may be to blame, according to a new study published in Nature’s journal Geophysical Research Letters.

As per the report, scientists have discovered that high-energy oxygen particles escaping from Earth’s atmosphere can travel across space and interact with iron-rich minerals on the lunar surface, forming haematite, a type of iron oxide commonly known as rust.

Typically, both the Earth and the Moon are exposed to a constant stream of charged particles from the Sun. However, for about five days each month, when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, the Moon is shielded from solar particles and instead exposed to Earth wind charged ions of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen that leak from Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Laboratory experiments led by Ziliang Jin of the Macau University of Science and Technology confirmed that when these oxygen ions collide with lunar minerals, they can trigger chemical reactions that produce haematite.

The findings build on earlier data from India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission, which in 2020 detected haematite near the Moon’s poles. Because the Moon lacks both significant water and a breathable atmosphere, the presence of rust puzzled researchers until now.

The study highlights the deep geological connection between Earth and the Moon, showing how Earth’s escaping atmosphere leaves a chemical imprint on it’s only natural satellite.