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The moon might have had a heavy metal atmosphere with supersonic winds

Radiation from an early Earth that glowed like a star would have vaporized metal to form air layer

moon false-color image

ANCIENT ATMOSPHERE  This false-color image shows high (red) and low (blue) terrains on the moon’s surface (near side, left; farside, right), which could preserve a record of the early lunar atmosphere.

NASA, GSFC, MIT, LOLA

By Lisa Grossman

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