Earth's magnetosphere governs speed of solar wind on lunar nearside

A study of lunar samples from China's Chang'e 6 mission reveals that Earth's magnetosphere acts as a speed governor for solar wind on the moon's nearside. Researchers found that solar wind particles are significantly decelerated before hitting the side of the moon facing Earth, a phenomenon preserved in the lunar soil's noble gas record.
The farside of the moon receives solar wind particles at nearly full speed, while its Earth-facing side is hit by the same wind after it has been slowed by nearly half, according to a study published recently in the journal Nature Geoscience.
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