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Tabloids reported over the weekend that an "explosive report" had found water moving on the moon, which could lead to a "colonization of the moon". Obviously, these headlines are misleading: no river flows along the lunar surface. Let's talk about what really happened.
NASA's lunar reconnaissance lunar probe (LRO), a probe in orbit around the moon since 2009, has detected water molecules absorbed and released by dust particles on the lunar surface throughout the day, depending on the temperature. These results constitute the only data set recording the distribution of water on the day of the moon, according to the article published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Although we all come to associate water with life, it is not surprising that water appears elsewhere in the solar system. Scientists have already discovered traces of water in the rocks of the Moon, probably present since the ancient Moon, as well as on its surface, probably deposited by the meteors, according to the newspaper.
The new study, led by senior scientist Amanda Hendrix of the Planetary Science Institute, analyzes the data collected by the Lyman Alpha LAMP Project (LAMP), an instrument that measures far ultraviolet light on the Lunar recognition orbiter. Researchers analyzed the diurnal variations of ultraviolet light reflected by the lunar surface from 2009 to 2016. Their results showed a tiny amount of water molecules migrating around the Moon as a function of temperature, where the rocks release the most water around noon when the temperature is higher and the water moves to areas with less incoming solar radiation.
However, there are alternative explanations for the results. It is possible that researchers have seen instead of water form from hydroxide molecules provided by the sun, an oxygen atom attached to a hydrogen atom, although their results are consistent with those of laboratory studies on the behavior of water.
And despite what tabloid titles imply, these streams of water do not flow. The molecules represent less than 1% of the molecules on the surface.
Yet more information about the water moving around the moon are exciting things. Studies like this one could guide future scientists to places and times in order to find the best water on the lunar surface.
Hendrix said in a statement: "These results help us understand the lunar water cycle and help us better understand the accessibility of water that can be used by humans during future missions. on the moon."
