Moon may hold frozen water in more places and in larger quantities than suspected: scientists

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While previous observations have indicated millions of tons of ice in the permanently shadowed craters of the moon’s poles, a pair of studies in the journal Nature Astronomy take the availability of lunar surface water to a new level

More than 15,400 square miles of lunar terrain have the capability to trap water in the form of ice, according to a team led by the University of Colorado’s Paul Hayne. That’s 20 per cent more area than previous estimates, he said.These ice-rich areas are near the moon’s north and south poles. Temperatures are so low in these so-called cold traps – minus 261 degrees Fahrenheit – that they could hold onto the water for millions or even billions of years.

Using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the researchers identified cold traps as small as a few yards across and as wide as 18 miles and more, and used computer models to get all the way down to micrometers in size. For a second study, scientists used NASA’s airborne infrared observatory Sofia to conclusively identify water molecules on the sunlit portions of the moon, just outside the polar regions. Most of these molecules are likely stored in the voids between moon dust and other particles or locked inside glassy volcanic material.

 

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