NASA confirms water on the moon's sunlit surface for the 1st time
NASA on Monday announced that scientists have confirmed there is water on the sunlit surface of the moon.
The agency revealed that its Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy detected water molecules in the moon's southern hemisphere. NASA's announcement explained that scientists had previously observed "some form of hydrogen" on the moon's surface, but they couldn't "definitively distinguish" between water and hydroxyl. The findings were detailed in two studies that were published in Nature Astronomy.
"We had indications that H2O — the familiar water we know — might be present on the sunlit side of the moon," Paul Hertz, director of NASA Headquarters's Astrophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement. "Now we know it is there."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
NASA also said in its announcement that this suggests "water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to cold, shadowed places," and it also "raises new questions about how water is created and how it persists on the harsh, airless lunar surface." NASA added, though, that it isn't clear if the water that was discovered is "easily accessible for use as a resource," but the agency said it's "eager to learn" more before "sending the first woman and next man to the lunar surface in 2024."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Aitch or haitch: the linguisitic debate that 'matters a lot'
Talking Point 'University Challenge' host Amol Rajan has promised to change the way he pronounces the letter 'H'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 14, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Trump Derangement Syndrome, social media dangers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 rambunctious cartoons about the House speakership standoff
Cartoons Artists take on Mike Johnson's night terrors, the Speaker's chair, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published