A recent discovery by scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) found traces of iron isotopes in samples from the moon, similar to those found on our ocean floor, leading them to believe that it came from the same supernova explosion.
- A supernova, according to NASA, is a star’s explosion that happens at the end of its life cycle. Stars are basically made up of hydrogen and once it is all gone, they implode and create new elements.
- When it gets to the right, massive size, a supernova takes place, It’s the biggest explosion yet in space that spews out different isotopes everywhere.
- It is believed that around two million years ago, a supernova explosion occurred somewhere near our solar system. Gunther Korschinek, a physicist at TUM, believes that it occurred only around 300 light years away.
- A unique iron isotope, 60Fe, was found in samples of deep-sea crusts and ocean sediments from the Pacific Ocean. Now, scientists said they detected high concentrations of 60Fe on lunar samples as well.
- This research from TUM involved samples gathered during the Apollo lunar missions 12, 15 and 16 between 1969 and 1972, which brought the lunar material to Earth for further study.
- These samples were studied using a high-sensitivity accelerator mass spectrometer in the Maier-Leibnitz Laboratory.
This study supports that the same supernova explosion sent the same stellar particles to Earth and our moon.
