Water on the moon is present even outside of dark craters
New observations by the flying telescope SOFIA confirmed there is water on the illuminated surface of the moon.
Observations made in 2020 first suggested that water might be present on Earth’s celestial companion outside of the permanently shadowed polar craters.
The new observations confirm these suggestions and hint that there might be even more water than previously thought.
SOFIA, or Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is a NASA-led mission, which observes the universe in infrared light from aboard a converted Boeing 747. The observatory, which made the 2020 discovery, has now detected molecular water around the Moretus Crater near the moon‘s south pole.
The presence of water outside of the permanently shadowed areas can shed light on the origin of lunar water, the scientists behind the observations said in a statement (opens in new tab). In 2020, water was detected around the nearby Clavius Crater, but that data was deemed ‘insufficient’.
The new study, the researchers said, included a larger number of observations. In fact, the new measurements were so detailed they allowed the team to create a map of water distribution in the Moretus Crater region, which shows how the abundance varies depending on temperature and latitude: the closer to the pole and the lower the temperature, the more water there is.
“Water on the moon is exciting because it allows us to study the processes that occur not only on the moon, but also on other airless bodies,” Casey Honniball, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who led the study, said in the statement. “[Water] is of extreme importance as a resource for human exploration. If you can find [sufficiently] large concentrations of water on the surface of the moon — and learn how it’s being stored and what form it’s in — you can learn how to extract it and use it for breathable oxygen or rocket fuel for a more sustainable presence.”
SOFIA made the measurements using its FORCAST instrument, an infrared camera optimized to study planet-like objects. By overlying the data on a three-dimensional map of the moon’s surface, the scientists could visualize the water distribution in detail.
SOFIA, flying above 99 percent of the water vapor content in Earth atmosphere, can better distinguish between molecules of water and hydroxyl (OH) than ground-based telescopes.
Hydroxyl, which contains only one hydrogen atom instead of the two present in water, is more abundant on the moon because it’s directly produced in the interactions between the solar wind and the lunar soil.
“The moon is constantly being bombarded by solar wind, which is delivering hydrogen to the lunar surface,” Honniball said. “This hydrogen interacts with oxygen on the lunar surface to create hydroxyl.”
Water arises from this hydroxyl when the moon’s surface heats up during micrometeorite strikes, the researchers said. A large portion of this water evaporates into space but some remains trapped in the lunar rocks.
Scientists will learn in great detail how much water there really is around the moon’s south pole after 2024 when NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) starts its mission.
SOFIA, in the meantime, will conclude its mission at the end of September.
See more here space.com
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bill
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The false assumption that water equals life is not true. Water is known as the universal solvent because it degrades all organic matter. Water sustains a living organic being once that being has a foothold, but is ultimately destructive to organics until then.
This falsity is promoted by the church of evolution, which is rapidly losing membership. NASA promotes this myth also because it keeps the funding coming.
I love science, I am a scientist. But truth is most important.
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Chris*
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Bill, would you like to explain this statement ?…..” Water sustains a living organic being once that being has a foothold “….
Here on our gem of a planet, photosynthesis cannot take place without water and without photosynthesis there is no free oxygen in our atmosphere for breathing. ( oxygen comes from the water molecule )
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Jerry Krause
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Hi Chris*,
I add to your comment: “photosynthesis cannot take place without water” and without atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Have a good day, Jerry
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Kevin Doyle
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I love the way these morons at NASA think, “We could refuel rockets there, or sell mineral water from the Moon! It will only cost $585,000/gallon!”
I am really in favour of not only discharging half the staff at NASA from their lucrative jobs, but also in favour of feeding them to sharks offshore to save the the rest of us from malicious stupidity.
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T. C. Clark
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Water has been found on Mercury. Astronomers say that there are some areas of space that have huge “blobs” of water. Science is basically information. There is so much information today that specialization is required. Maybe one day a more simple underlying theory will be found ( e.g. string theory) but more and more complexity seems to be most likely. There is no law of “Nature” that says man is favored…in fact….”Nature” seems to be indifferent to man Entropy…..disorder….always increases…the ultimate future seems to be a Dark cold place. What will be…will be.
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Mr. Crabs
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You say water has been found on Mercury eh? Astronomers say that there are some areas of space that have huge blobs of water?
I am going to assume that you believe anything that Astronomers and scientists say.
What does that say about your ability to think for yourself?
People lie. Politicians lie. The media lies. And yes, Astronomers and Scientists lie.
People lie because it helps them keep their jobs, make money, stay married, etc.
Just because someone has fancy letters of academia behind their name or a fancy title, or some established authority or even a white coat does not stop them from lying. In fact, it is expected. Nobody gets the higher degrees in academia if they disagree with the curriculum. It is go along to get along or after multiple years of schooling, one is awarded …..NOTHING.
How many took the jabs to keep their jobs? They in effect, lied to themselves to keep that job. Keep those shekels coming in so they don’t lose the car, the house, the spouse, the kids, the golf club membership, their status in this fake world. They sold out. They simply took it up the arse to please the tyrannical system and to live their fake lives just a bit longer in the manner that they have become accustomed.
I guess for you, science can indeed lie about certain things like viruses, medicine, fake pandemics, climate change, weather, vaccines, etc.
BUT………would never lie about space. That is sacred right? Beyond reproach. Special. Off limits even.
GTFOH!
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Peter Connett
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Where does Hollywood end and science begin.?.. so much of people’s perception has been framed by the magick Kingdom.
Space may be the final frontier… but it’s made in a Hollywood basement. -RHCP
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Jerry Krause
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Hi
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