Earth and Moon shared magnetic field 4.1 billion years ago: Study

Team Udayavani, Oct 16, 2020, 5:58 PM IST

A NASA-led study has suggested that the Earth and Moon had their magnetospheres joined 4.1 billion years ago which protected Earth’s atmosphere against the solar wind.

This eventually helped Earth to develop life and habitable condition. Scientists said this shared magnetic field situation could have persisted from 4.1 to 3.5 billion years ago.

Jim Green, NASA’s chief scientist and lead author of the new study, said, “The Moon seems to have presented a substantial protective barrier against the solar wind for the Earth, which was critical to Earth’s ability to maintain its atmosphere during this time”

According to India.com, Scientists created a computer model to look at the behaviour of the magnetic fields at two positions in their respective orbits.

At certain times, the Moon’s magnetosphere would have served as a barrier to the harsh solar radiation raining down on the Earth-Moon system, the scientists wrote.