A new study suggests the moon is 4.51 billion years old, 100 million years older than previously believed. This challenges the giant-impact theory of lunar formation, proposing instead a later "re-melting" event due to Earth's tidal forces. This event masked the moon's true age, making lunar samples appear younger. The research, published in Nature, uses zircon crystal analysis and aligns with other theories suggesting a younger moon. Future lunar missions may validate this new age estimate, refining our understanding of solar system formation.
