The Moon emerged much earlier than previously thought; it simply underwent a "facelift" as Earth's satellite.

Astronomers believe that the Moon may have undergone a volcanic "facelift," suggesting it formed at least 150 million years earlier than previous studies indicated. This conclusion was reached by scientists based on modeling. The new research is published in the journal Nature, reports Space.

There are several reasons to suspect that the Moon was created earlier, implying that its age is greater than previously thought. For instance, it is estimated that the Moon could have formed about 4.5 billion years ago, while other studies suggest it appeared 4.35 billion years ago. Models of planetary formation in the Solar System indicate that the massive collision that created the Moon likely could not have occurred 250 million years after the formation of the Solar System, which is 4.6 billion years old. Orbital dynamics models show that such large objects capable of colliding with Earth had already disappeared around 4.4 billion years ago.

The authors of the new study offer their explanation for the discrepancy in the Moon's age determinations. They believe that the Moon's surface "melted" around 4.35 billion years ago, thus concealing the true age of Earth's satellite.

It is worth noting that the leading theory of the Moon's formation posits that billions of years ago, a large object the size of Mars collided with Earth, resulting in the ejection of vast amounts of debris into space. This debris eventually formed the Moon. However, the exact timing of this event remains a topic of debate.

To assess the Moon's age, scientists previously used lunar rocks brought back to Earth by various missions. These rocks likely formed from an ocean of magma that covered the Moon at the very beginning of its history. Analysis of the rocks indicated that the Moon has existed for 4.35 billion years.

Based on modeling, the authors of the study concluded that the Moon's surface "melted" due to Earth's gravitational influence on the Moon. After its formation, the Moon was closer to our planet than it is now, and Earth exerted a stronger gravitational pull on the Moon. Scientists believe this could have led to significant heating of Earth's satellite and changes to its surface due to volcanic processes.

This may explain why there are very few impact craters on the Moon that formed in its early history; they simply vanished.

The scientists' modeling suggests that the Moon was created approximately 80-100 million years after the birth of the Solar System. This theory may be validated by further research on new samples brought back from the Moon, such as those from the Chinese mission "Chang'e-6" earlier this year.