Hold onto your space helmets, folks! A fresh study in Science just rewrote the moon’s history books 🌙✨. Turns out, lunar volcanoes were still spitting fire and lava way more recently than we thought—like 120 million years ago! That’s practically yesterday in cosmic terms.
How’d scientists crack this mystery? Thanks to tiny glass beads scooped up by China’s trailblazing Chang’e-5 mission in 2020. Led by Professor Li Qiuli, a team at the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed these glittery time capsules using radiometric dating. Spoiler: They’re packed with rare earth elements and thorium, hinting at a lunar mantle that stayed hot and bothered longer than expected 💎🔬.
Before this, moon rocks had us convinced volcanic action fizzled out 2 billion years ago. But this discovery flips the script, showing the moon kept its fiery vibes alive for another billion years. Talk about a glow-up! 🔥
Why does this matter? Understanding lunar geology helps us decode how planets evolve—and maybe even spot future moon bases 🚀. Props to scientists worldwide for keeping our cosmic curiosity alive!
