“Magnetism is one of the Six Fundamental Forces of the Universe, with the other five being Gravity, Duct Tape, Whining, Remote Control, and The Force That Pulls Dogs Toward The Groins Of Strangers.” - Dave Barry
Phase of the Moon Today: Waxing Crescent 23% of Full
This post discusses the Magnetometer Data from the Lunar Prospector mission. The mission was designed to measure the magnetic field surrounding the spacecraft as it orbited the Moon. It was positioned to detect disturbances in Earth's magnetic field due to the presence of the Moon. The data collected was to allow scientists to estimate the induced field generated in the Moon. They determined the amplitude of the field to be -2.4 x 10^22 Gauss-cm^3. This suggests that the lunar core represents only 1-3% of the Moon's total mass. This measurement helps support the giant impact hypothesis since if the Earth and Moon were formed together form the same material (i.e. co-accretion model) then the proportion of the cores should be the same - which they are not-Earth's 33%, Moon 1-3%.
My initial reaction to this article was that this would be an interesting article to discuss with my Physics 30 class. I am also trying to work on an exam question related to the induction of the Moon or the induced voltage that would be generated in the spacecraft's boom. According to Lenz's law the magnetic field on Earth should generate a voltage according to the equation V = lvB where V = voltage, l - length of boom (m), v - speed of boom (spacecraft) in field (m/s) and B = magnetic field strength of Earth. When I get it done I'll post it here.
signing off
kb
No comments:
Post a Comment