Skeptastic

NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has discovered water on the sunlit surface of the moon. The discovery has been published in the October 26 issue of Nature Astronomy.

SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747 with a 2.5m telescope on board that is tuned to focus on the infrared spectrum. Hydroxy groups have been found on the moon before, but the signal a 3µm could be H₂0 or it’s chemically similar OH group. But H₂0 has a specific vibration at 6 µm that is right in SOFIA’s wheelhouse.

Water was found to be present in quantities of 100 to 400 µg g⁻¹. For comparison, the Sahara desert has about 100 times more water than was detected on the lunar surface.

Regardless, this is a fantastic discovery as to how water can exist in such a harsh environment.