The Moon is rusting even though it has no air and almost no liquid water — and the leading explanation is that oxygen escaping Earth rides our magnetic tail 385,000 kilometres into space during the few days each month when the solar wind is blocked
Oxidation should be almost impossible on the Moon. It has no substantial atmosphere, almost no liquid water, and a surface bombarded for most of each month by hydrogen from the solar wind. Hydrogen is a reducing agent, the opposite chemical to the oxidizing conditions that convert iron to rust. However, researchers analyzing data from India’s … Read more
