Moon Content

Recent Volcanoes on the Moon?

Andy Fell — September 04, 2024 - 3:09pm

New results from China’s Chang’e 5 lunar samples returned to Earth provide evidence for active volcanoes on the Moon as recently as 120 million years ago. Previously, scientists had thought that any activity with magma (molten rock) rising to the Moon’s surface ended billions of years ago.

How Was the Moon Formed?

Karen Michele Nikos — September 30, 2019 - 3:32pm

A new theory about the moon explains the unexplainable, say 51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers.

Professor Discusses Significance of Moon Landing on 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Live Friday

Amy E Rafferty — July 11, 2019 - 8:37am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis Professor Sarah Stewart, an expert on planet formation, will discuss the significance of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing on 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Live at 2:30 p.m. PDT Friday (July 12). You can listen to the discussion and ask her questions live here.

Scientist Who Studies How Planets Form Named MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellow

Andy Fell — October 04, 2018 - 1:53pm

The MacArthur Foundation has named Sarah T. Stewart, a planetary scientist at the University of California, Davis, who has developed novel theories about the formation of the Earth and moon, among the 2018 class of MacArthur Fellows. Sometimes known as the “Genius Grants,” the MacArthur Fellowship is a $625,000 award to extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential.

How Did the Moon Get Where It Is?

Karen Michele Nikos — September 17, 2018 - 4:47pm

Earth’s moon is an unusual object in our solar system, and now there’s a new theory to explain how it got where it is, which puts some twists on the current “giant impact” theory.

How the Moon Formed Inside a Vaporized Earth Synestia

Andy Fell — February 28, 2018 - 1:49pm

A new explanation for the moon’s origin has it forming inside the Earth when our planet was a seething, spinning cloud of vaporized rock, called a synestia. The new model led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Harvard University resolves several problems in lunar formation and is published Feb. 28 in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets.

New Theory Explains How the Moon Got There

Andy Fell — October 31, 2016 - 11:36am

Earth’s moon is an unusual object in our solar system, and now there’s a new theory to explain how it got where it is, which puts some twists on the current “giant impact” theory. The work is published Oct. 31 in the journal Nature.