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Supernovae and lunar melting

Abstract

THE view that a supernova explosion preceded the formation of the Solar System1 by at most a few million years has gained support from the interpretation of meteoritic isotope anomalies by Latimer et al.2. We suggest here another significant piece of evidence for this viewpoint, not mentioned in their report—that supernova-produced26 A1 (half life, 0.7 Myr) is also the only known physical heat source for melting of the lunar interior.

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SINGER, C. Supernovae and lunar melting. Nature 272, 239 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/272239a0

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