Recently, using data from China’s lunar probes Chang’e-1 and Chang’e-2, scientists have detected high temperatures below the surface of a suspected volcanic feature on the moon. Compton-Belgovich.
The existence of such a large hotspot on the lunar surface could only be explained if the granite rock contained radioactive decay elements such as thorium and uranium.
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Researchers estimate the amount of this background radiation to be 0.3 millisieverts per year.
This is actually small compared to the approximately 6 millisieverts that each person on Earth receives annually due to natural radiation sources.
However, there are other sources of radiation that being on the Moon exposes you to, which are shielded from Earth due to the planet’s magnetic field. These include interstellar cosmic rays, energetic particles from the Sun, and neutrons and gamma rays from interactions between radiation and the lunar soil.
The average maximum dose from all these radiation sources is estimated to be over 400 millisieverts per year. It can be very high following very powerful solar flares.
Thus, although the Moon has very low levels of natural radiation, it is a harsh environment when all sources of ionizing radiation are considered.
This article answers the question (asked Susan McClure, via email) ’Is the moon radioactive?’
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