研究发现，月球在“内部发电机”停机后，磁场消失了10亿年

研究发现，月球在“内部发电机”停机后，磁场消失了10亿年

The Moon likely lost its magnetic field after an internal dynamo stopped firing 1 billion years ago, according to a new study.

一项新的研究表明，10亿年前，月球内部的一台发电机停止工作后，可能失去了磁场。

The research, published in Science Advances, looks at rocks from Earth’s lunar satellite that were melted by an impact and found that measurements taken from these rocks show a significantly weak magnetic field, just 0.1 microteslas, approximately 1 billion years ago.

这项研究发表在《科学进展》(Science Advances)杂志上，研究了地球月球卫星上因撞击而融化的岩石，发现从这些岩石上测量到的数据显示，大约10亿年前，只有0.1个微特斯拉(microteslas)的磁场非常弱。

“Combined with previous paleointensity estimates, this indicates that the lunar dynamo likely ceased sometime between ~1.92 and ~0.80 Ga ago,” the researchers wrote in the study’s abstract. “The protracted lifetime of the lunar magnetic field indicates that the late dynamo was likely powered by crystallization of the lunar core.”

研究人员在研究摘要中写道:“结合之前的古强度估计，这表明月球的发电机可能在大约1.92 ~0.80 Ga之间的某个时间停止工作。月球磁场的延长寿命表明，晚期的发电机可能是由月球核心的结晶提供动力。”

Previous research found that the magnetic field on the Moon was 100 microteslas approximately 4 billion years ago, roughly double that of present-day Earth.

先前的研究发现，大约40亿年前，月球上的磁场是100微特斯拉，大约是现在地球磁场的两倍。

The Moon is thought to be 4.5 billion years old, but a separate study published in August 2018 suggests that the satellite could be 100 million years older than previously thought.

月球被认为有45亿年的历史，但2018年8月发表的另一项研究表明，这颗卫星可能比之前认为的要老1亿年。

Speaking with Newsweek, one of the study’s authors, Benjamin Weiss, said the magnetic field likely helped protect the Moon from the Sun’s solar wind.

该研究的作者之一本杰明·韦斯在接受《新闻周刊》采访时表示，磁场可能有助于保护月球免受太阳太阳风的伤害。

“This may have prevented the surface from being space weathered and the soil becoming rich in solar gases like it is today,” Weiss told the news outlet. Furthermore, the Moon was likely about twice as close to the Earth during the time the Moon was inferred to have a strong magnetic field compared today.”

“这可能阻止了地表被太空风化，土壤中富含像今天这样的太阳气体，”Weiss告诉新闻媒体。此外，据推断，与今天的月球相比，当时月球离地球的距离可能是现在的两倍。”

It’s unclear why the internal dynamo stopped or what caused the magnetic shield to erode.

目前还不清楚内部发电机为何停止工作，也不清楚是什么原因导致了磁屏蔽被侵蚀。

In July, NASA revealed details of its vision for the Artemis Moon lander that will return U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024.

今年7月，美国国家航空和宇宙航行局(NASA)公布了有关阿尔特弥斯(Artemis)月球着陆器计划的细节，该着陆器将于2024年让美国宇航员重返月球表面。

The Artemis program aims to land American astronauts on the Moon by 2024 and establish a sustainable human presence on Earth’s natural satellite. Artemis will also make history by landing the first woman on the Moon.

阿尔特弥斯计划的目标是到2024年让美国宇航员登陆月球，并在地球的自然卫星上建立一个可持续的人类存在。阿尔忒弥斯还将创造历史，让第一位女性登上月球。

Initial mission capability for 2024 involves landing two astronauts on the Moon’s South Pole. Astronauts will live and work out of the lander for 6.5 days, according to NASA.

2024年的初始任务能力包括让两名宇航员登陆月球南极。美国宇航局称，宇航员将在着陆器外生活和工作6.5天。

Longer-term, the Lander will need to transport four people to the lunar South Pole.

长期而言，着陆器将需要运送四个人到月球南极。