| Exosphere (10) |  |
At the same time a stream of particles blowing out from the sun the solar wind inflates a bubble of plasma around the solar system called the heliosphere Astronomers have assumed long that the sun's motion through the galaxy squashes
and spreads the heliosphere into a bullet shape with an extended tail at the back (see image).
when charged particles from the solar wind collide with other charged particles in the outer heliosphere Some of these neutral atoms are bounced back towards us.
The magnetic field of the heliosphere protects us from the bulk of these galactic high-energy particles. But some manage to impinge on our solar system
known as Ladee. he presence of neon in the exosphere of the moon has been a subject of speculation since the Apollo missions,
The moon atmosphere is referred technically to as an exosphere because it so thin. Exospheres are the most common type of atmosphere in our solar system,
so scientists are keen to learn more about them. t's critical to learn about the lunar exosphere before sustained human exploration substantially alters it,
Dr Benna said. Since the moon's atmosphere is so thin, rocket exhaust from spacecraft could easily change its composition.
Most of the moon's exosphere comes from the solar wind, which is a thin stream of electrically conducting gas blown from the surface of the sun into space at around a million miles per hour.
Ladee NMS instrument confirmed the moon exosphere is made up of mostly helium, argon, and neon.
which allowed the team to understand how they are supplied to the exosphere, and how they are lost ultimately.
While most of the lunar exosphere comes from the solar wind, the readings showed that some gas comes from lunar rocks.
The team also noted that a second surprising behaviour of argon that the overall amount in the lunar exosphere was not constant over time.
Ladee readings also revealed an unexpected source of some of the helium in the lunar exosphere. bout 20 percent of the helium is coming from the moon itself, most likely as the result from the decay of radioactive thorium and uranium
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