Surface and orbital magnetic results from Apollo 15.
Orbital and surface measurements reveal that magnetization is a general property of the lunar surface, but show no evidence for a presently existing planetary magnetic field similar to that of the earth. The surface magnetic field is irregular with a scale size of the order of 10 km and weak in comparison with that at the surface of the earth. Fields of up to 300 gammas have been measured on the surface of the moon. Orbital data show the field is stronger and more irregular on the far side than on the near side of the moon. When the moon is in the solar wind, a plasma void occurs behind the moon, due to the absorption of the solar wind by the surface of the moon. The field strength in the plasma void is larger than that in the solar wind owing to diamagnetism.