Moon had a magnetic field for at least a billion years longer than thought

An analysis of an Apollo rock suggests two ways such a small body generated its field

moon

HEATED PAST  From around 4.25 billion years ago to at least as late as 2.5 billion years ago, the moon had a magnetic field, which dwindled in strength over time, a new study finds.

Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA

The moon had a magnetic field for at least 2 billion years, or maybe longer.