New research suggests the moon's surface is much older than previously thought. 

<div class="block">New research suggests the moon&#39;s surface is much older than previously thought. </div>

Need2Know Headlines

Study: Moon Surface Older Than Previously Thought

New research suggests the moon's surface is much older than previously thought. Scientists believe the moon was formed over 4 billion years ago after a collision sent material from the earth into the planet's orbit. But scientists recently took a closer look at a crystal from the moon's surface brought back by Apollo 17 astronauts and they found the moon is 40 million years older than we previously thought. The scientist listed an atomic analysis of lunar zircon crystals. They found that while the majority of maternal material from the moon's surface is 4.3 billion years old, some rocks were as old as 4.46 billion years old. The scientists cautioned that while they can't confirm exactly what that means about the moon's origin, it shows there is still a lot to learn about our very own cosmic backyard.