Humans have long gazed at the Moon in wonder, wondering about its origin and age. Although estimates have been made, there was never any definitive answer for how old the moon is—until now.
Thanks to the Apollo 17 mission, we now have concrete evidence that the Moon is about 4.52 billion years old. This is based on samples taken from the Moon that were collected during Apollo 17 by astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan.
Apollo 17 was the last mission of the Apollo program, and it was also the longest one. On board the spacecraft were the Apollo Lunar Module Challenger and the Apollo Lunar Rover. During the mission, the astronauts collected larger rocks located on the lunar surface. Back on Earth, these rocks were studied in-depth and analyzed in order to understand the age of the moon.
Using a technique known as radiometric dating, researchers sampled the smaller pieces of Rock and analyzed them for the trace radioactive isotopes they contained. This type of dating puts an absolute age on the rocks, and by extension, on the Moon.
The results of the research showed that the Moon is 4.52 billion years old. This knowledge is key for understanding many details about the Moon, such as its history. This research also helps us understand the formation of the Solar System and how everything came to be.
Without the help of the astronauts aboard the Apollo 17 mission, this crucial knowledge about the Moon would not have been made available to scientists. For that, we are incredibly grateful. Now, with the true age of the Moon discovered, we can continue to learn about its secrets and unlock our understanding of the Solar System.
