The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) announced on October 26 that it has discovered water on the sunlit surface of the mood. The team had previously found molecules of Hydrogen but was not sure about its chemical composition, creating a doubt between Water molecules and Hydroxyl. The recent discovery opens up the possibility of water being spread across the lunar surface of the moon, which is a major discovery in the history of Astronomy.
The new discovery states that water molecules could be spread across the lunar surface of the moon and is not just limited to cold, shadowed spaces. The new results were generated through the 2.5m SOFIA telescope which has a FORCAST camera and flies on a Boeing 747-SP. It detected water in a small proportion paving way for numerous possibilities.
Previously, various Astronomical organizations including The Cassini Mission & Deep Impact Comet Mission, The Indian Space Research Organization and NASA’s Ground-based Infrared Telescope facility had found evidence of hydration in the sunnier side of the Moon.
“SOFIA has detected water molecules (H2O) is Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, located in the Moon’s southern hemisphere. Previous observations of the Moon’s surface detected some form of hydrogen, but were unable to distinguish between water and its close chemical relative, hydroxyl (OH).” NASA in a press release.
One of the officials at NASA headquarters in Washington, Paul Hertz, shed some light on what the discovery could mean for the future.
He said, “We had indications that H2-the familiar water we know- might be present on the sunlit side of the Moon. Now we know it is there. This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space.”
In the press release, SOFIA revealed details about the path-breaking discovery.
They said, “The amount of water detected is equivalent to about a 12 oz bottle trapped in a cubic meter of soil. Water may be delivered by tiny meteorites that deposit it on impact.”
This discovery also challenges the theories about how water is formed, while also raising questions about its sustenance in an airless area.
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