Sometimes, we associate certain symbols or ideas with stones. Famously, moonstone is the, well, moon stone. However, recently, another mineral was discovered that could be called a moon stone: Changesite. What is it? Let's get into it.
What is Changesite?
Changesite is a recently discovered crystal that was discovered in 2022 under the Chinese space program. Where was it discovered? Not on Earth, that's for sure. Changesite is a crystal that was identified and discovered on the moon. Talk about being out of this world! Its technical name is Changesite—(Y), and we don't know too much about it as of yet, but we do know that it is a phosphate mineral.
Its importance is in uncovering more about the moon. According to some research, along with Changesite's recent discovery, and many other lunar samples collected during this planetary expedition help support the theory that the moon was born from some kind of planetary crash between earth and another celestial body very, very, very long ago.
Other Information
Helium-3 was also found among the samples that China brought back to earth. According to scientists, that has the potential to produce cleaner energy through nuclear fusion. This is an extremely uncommon variant on earth, but the moon seems to have a greater supply of it.
You're also probably wondering who or what Changesite honors with its name. Given the nature of the space expedition, you could probably make a good guess. It is named after Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess. The name of the mission also happens to be Chang'e.
Unfortunately, we cannot supply you with many fun images or a supply of this new and lovely mineral. But we can supply you with a so-called moonstone on earth!
Sources
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/science/new-moon-mineral-china.html
https://www.livescience.com/chinese-moon-crystal-change-5
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