Chinese scientists discover new transparent lunar mineral in 44-gram space rock

Chinese scientists from the China Geological Survey announced on Wednesday the historic discovery of the 11th lunar mineral, officially named Cerium-Magnesium Changesite.

The newly identified extraterrestrial mineral is completely colorless, transparent, and highly brittle, with a glassy appearance and a noticeable fluorescence.

Its microscopic grain size ranges from approximately three to 25 micrometers, though it typically measures under 10 micrometers, making it roughly one-twentieth the diameter of a standard human hair.

“Why it is new is that when it was formed, it experienced two different conditions. The physical condition was temperature and pressure, while the chemical condition was its element content,” said Che Xiaochao, an associate researcher at the Institute of Geology of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences.

He explained that discovering a new mineral in space indicates that unique environmental conditions once existed beyond Earth that have never occurred on our home planet. However, if this exact same mineral is ever discovered on Earth, it would strongly suggest our planet once experienced similar extreme conditions, allowing researchers to accurately infer and compare broader celestial activities.

This rare Cerium-Magnesium Changesite was discovered hidden directly inside the very first lunar meteorite ever to fall in China.

The space rock is a single spherical object weighing exactly 44 grams and features a distinct dark molten shell on its outer surface. Experts note that identifying new minerals in lunar meteorites significantly expands our general understanding of the universe while simultaneously offering valuable new chemical formulations for the field of synthetic materials.

Qu Kai, a member of the Commission of New Minerals and Mineral Names, stated that the mineral’s unique fluorescence holds promising potential for manufacturing advanced LEDs, adding that its specific rare-earth element ratio will provide important scientific references for developing future synthetic materials.