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Detailed explanation-1: -Now, researchers in Germany say they’ve detected higher concentrations of 60Fe in lunar samples . Scientists believe the iron isotopes found on Earth and the moon were both born of and deposited by the same supernova explosion.

Detailed explanation-2: -Iron-60. Iron-60 is an iron isotope with a half-life of 2.6 million years, but was thought until 2009 to have a half-life of 1.5 million years. It undergoes beta decay to cobalt-60, which then decays with a half-life of about 5 years to stable nickel-60. Traces of iron-60 have been found in lunar samples.

Detailed explanation-3: -While aluminium-26 is one rung on the ladder of nuclear reactions, iron-60 is produced from pre-existing stable iron isotopes by a process called ‘neutron capture’ in the respective layers where helium and carbon atoms are undergoing fusion.

Detailed explanation-4: -Iron has four naturally-occurring stable isotopes, 54Fe, 56Fe, 57Fe and 58Fe. The relative abundances of the Fe isotopes in nature are approximately 54Fe (5.8%), 56Fe (91.7%), 57Fe (2.2%) and 58Fe (0.3%).

Detailed explanation-5: -That is low enough for the isotope to be used as a chronometer-researchers can use it to calculate the time-scales of a cosmic processes. It is believed that using iron-60 as a chronometer will allow for dating events such as supernovae and some other stars.