For many, the Moon is just a spectacle in the night sky, glimmering with the stars that shine around it. But there’s more to the Moon than what meets the eye, it’s a golden opportunity. For years a rumor has spread across platforms and astronomy fanatics that the Moon harbors massive amounts of gold. It seems almost as if it were a fantasy, the Moon’s surface littered with gold, but what I told you that it was true? There really is gold on the Moon, but how much?
How Much Gold Is On The Moon?
Calculating how much gold there is on the Moon is hard to find out, but scientists know that there isn’t nearly as much gold on the Moon as there is on Earth. Since Earth is four times the size of the Moon, this makes sense. If scientists had to guess how much gold there is on the Moon, it’s plausible that there is a quarter of Earth’s gold inventory. In numerical terms, that’s roughly 61,000 metric tons of gold, and is believed to have been deposited on the Moon by asteroids that collided on its surface.
In 2009, during a NASA mission called LCROSS, a rocket collided with the Moon’s surface. Months later, NASA sent a spacecraft to investigate the blast zone. In their observations and samples, they discovered that the lunar surface contained several compounds, one of which was gold. The Moon’s surface is made up of layers. When the rocket hit the lunar surface, it created a hole that allowed the crew to investigate further into those layers. On the initial surface, iron, aluminum, silicon, calcium, magnesium, and titanium were found there. Further down and deeper into the Moon’s crust, an array of mesmerizing materials was found, including gold.
The Earth is four times the size of the Moon, so while gold was found on the lunar surface, there certainly was no gold rush. On Earth, depending on how you look at it, we’re blessed to have metric tons more. So, naturally, you’ll find more gold on Earth than you would on the Moon. There still is, of course, more than plenty of gold on the Moon, just nowhere near the amount we have on Earth.
How Did Gold Get On The Moon?
There are several reasons why and how gold got on the Moon. Throughout history, asteroids have collided with the Moon’s surface, acting as the catching net to keep many from hitting Earth.
Asteroids are composed of precious metals such as gold. So, over time, as asteroids repeatedly impacted the lunar surface, a metric ton of gold was scattered. This may seem like an overstep to believe all of the gold on the Moon came from asteroids, but with what scientists know, this is the best explanation to date.
The Moon has taken quite a beating since it’s taken its place in Earth’s orbit, but the natural wonder is tough. NASA is in the midst of launching a crewed mission to settle on the lunar surface and conduct further research, called Artemis III. In their itinerary, the crew will conduct further research and collect additional samples of the lunar surface. Perhaps one day soon we’ll get a better idea of just how much gold is on the Moon and where it all came from.
Are There Other Precious Metals On The Moon?
Researchers have found loads of other compounds on the lunar surface, but very few precious metals have been found. Gold, cobalt, palladium, platinum, and tungsten have all been discovered on the lunar surface. Researchers will continue to test samples brought back to Earth, but for now, that is all we know.
Can We Mine The Gold On The Moon?
Technically, the Moon isn’t owned by anybody. Traveling through airspace and your re-entry landing points are two completely different things.
If you had the financial support, crew, and means to land on the Moon to mine galactic gold then yes, you can mine gold on the Moon. But in order to do that, you’ll need a few things that are otherwise unreachable to the common human.
Companies and agencies will be mining the Moon for its resources, but more in the name of research than it is monetary.
Conclusion
The lunar surface is glittering with an array of precious metals and other valuable resources. Asteroids that have impacted the Moon left behind pieces of themselves in the underlayers of the surface. And, yes, it’s possible to mine gold, silver, and other metals… It’s nearly impossible to get there and come back with a full load of metal. Mining the Moon for gold is a substantial expedition that is only carried out by space agencies and accompanying businesses. Perhaps one day the metals on the lunar surface will be sold commercially, but today is not that day.
