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Photograph: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB / TT
The moon may hold more water than previously thought. Stock Photography.
For the first time, water has been found on the illuminated surface of the moon. New studies also suggest that there may be much more water in our closest celestial body than previously thought.
The moon was considered dry until about a decade ago. But several discoveries have since indicated that there is water on the surface.
Two new studies published in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy show that the moon encapsulates much more water than previously observed.
Flying observatory
Previous research, by scanning the lunar surface, have been able to see the presence of water, but have not been able to distinguish water molecules (H2O) from the closely related hydroxy group (OH), which consists of an oxygen atom and a hydrogen atom. .
The airborne observatory of NASA Sofia (Infrared Astronomy Stratospheric Observatory), carried by a Boeing 747 aircraft, has been able to separate the molecules.
The discovery was made through observations of infrared heat radiation from the southern hemisphere of the moon, more specifically at Clavius crater. It is one of the largest craters on the moon that is also visible from Earth. The data shows that there is water corresponding to a 33 centiliter can in one cubic meter of soil scattered on the lunar surface in the crater.
Researchers have previously used other space probes to observe the moon and have concluded that there is icy water closer to the poles, areas where the sun never shines and where the temperature stays around 150 degrees below zero.
Less than the Sahara
“We have received indications that H20, the water we know, may be on the sunny side of the moon. Now we know it is there,” said Paul Hertz, head of the space physics department at NASA headquarters in Washington.
In comparison, the researchers take the Sahara desert, which consists of 100 times more water than what Sofia discovered on the lunar surface. Water is considered an important component for future space travel and, at the same time, it is a main ingredient for life to emerge. However, it is not yet clear whether the water that was discovered is easy to absorb.
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