Water Found On Moon! NASA’s SOFIA Confirms Water On The Moon’s Sunlit Surface For The First Time

Water has been found on the moon! National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA’s) Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) on October 26 confirmed that it has found water on the sunlit surface of the moon. As per SOFIA, water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to cold, shadowed places. “SOFIA has detected water molecules (H2O) in 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 said in a press release. Scientists think that the water could be stored inside glass bead like structures within the soil that can be smaller than the tip of a pencil. It was thought that Moon’s surface was completely dry after Apollo astronauts first returned from the Earth’s satellite in 1969. Over the past 20 years, NASA’s mission, including Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, confirmed ice in permanently shadowed craters around the Moon’s poles. However, several spacecraft looked broadly across the lunar surface and found evidence of hydration in sunnier regions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2020 10:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).