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Related: About this forumWater on the moon is more common than we thought, studies reveal
Source: Space.com
Water on the moon is more common than we thought, studies reveal
By Chelsea Gohd an hour ago
Lunar "cold traps" bode well for future Artemis astronauts, NASA says.
Water on the moon is more common than scientists thought, with pockets of ice hiding in shadowy regions of "eternal darkness," some as small as a penny, new studies reveal.
Scientists have been finding signs of water on the moon since 2009 and, in 2018, confirmed the presence of water ice on the lunar surface. Now, researchers in two new studies have not only further confirmed the presence of water on the moon, but also found that the lunar surface could be harboring plentiful patches of secret ice in "cold traps," regions of permanently shadowed spots on the moon.
"If you can imagine standing on the surface of the moon near one of its poles, you would see shadows all over the place," study author Paul Hayne, assistant professor in the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at CU Boulder, said in a statement. "Many of those tiny shadows could be full of ice."
Finding water on the moon
In one of these studies, a team led by Hayne used data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to study the distribution of cold traps, where water could not only exist but be permanently captured, on the moon. They found not only a wide variety of cold traps with "micro cold traps" as small as 0.39 inches (1 centimeter) in diameter but there could be hundreds or even thousands of times tinier "micro" cold traps than larger ones. They also found these permanent shadows at both poles.
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Read more: https://www.space.com/water-on-moon-shadow-cold-traps-discovery
llashram
(6,265 posts)by us. Then chiefly republicans, corporate and the racist RW can all live on the moon, build rockets, underground cities and societies and then on to Mars. The earth-based human will go on...and by the way, no minorities need apply for any position, not janitors, nannies, cooks, garbage collects et al.
AllaN01Bear
(18,110 posts)and the earth protectorate our saviour.
llashram
(6,265 posts)this or some other likely scenario
WheelWalker
(8,954 posts)Just say'n.
reader1
(55 posts)This should really dispel anymore probability on the existence of aliens, since it is your DNA and not amino acids which determine life.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)This is just so cool.
world wide wally
(21,739 posts)There is no atmosphere which means there are no weather patterns or changes. There are no rivers or lakes. No evaporation or transpiration. So where?
hunter
(38,309 posts)The planet Venus still has significant water -- about 20 ppm in its atmosphere.
Even closer to the sun Mercury has some water.
Beyond Mars there is plenty of ice.
world wide wally
(21,739 posts)Eugene
(61,846 posts)The question on the moon is whether some of that ice can accumulate on the moon's surface without getting boiled away by sunlight.
JustFiveMoreMinutes
(2,133 posts)HILARIOUS!