Carrie Wong reports that the Moon today has a very weak magnetic field, but researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently released a paper in Nature showing that the Moon once had a much stronger magnetic field. The core of the Earth is surrounded by a mixture of molten iron and nickel. The Earth magnetic field is caused by currents of electricity that flow in the core. The core of the Earth is surrounded by a mixture of molten iron and nickel. The magnetic field is caused by currents of electricity that flow in the core. In fact, they believe the magnetic field of the Moon was even stronger than that of the Earth. Planetary geologists have been trying to figure out what lies beneath the surface of the Moon for decades, but solid conclusions have eluded them. The Earth magnetic field is generated by the rotation of molten metal in the core creating a dynamo, but scientists had not established the mechanism of the Moon magnetic field. It was unknown whether or not the Moon had Earthlike composition - with a crust, quasi-mantle and metallic core or if the Moon retained a partially un-melted and undifferentiated interior.
This recent study supports the idea that the Moon magnetic field was also generated by a rotating metal core as opposed to other forces. In the past, researchers speculated the Moon magnetic field could have been caused by the wobble of the Moon spin axis which could have mobilized the core to produce more magnetism. Others have speculated that the magnetic fields could have formed from large basin-forming impacts.
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