Water is appearing on the Moon thanks to ‘mysterious hidden force’, baffled scientists admit
SCIENTISTS believe they have an explanation for where water on the Moon comes from.
Ice was uncovered on the Moon decades ago, however, exactly where it came from has remained a mystery.
Now, a theory proposed in a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy hopes to explain this.
In the study, researchers claim that electrons from Earth and the Sun are helping to create frozen water on the Moon.
They add that this is the case even in areas that are protected from solar winds.
HOW DOES THIS WORK?
As the Moon orbits Earth, it passes through and out of the magnetotail.
The magnetotail is a long tail of charged particles that our planet leaves behind as it travels through space.
“This provides a natural laboratory for studying the formation processes of lunar surface water,” says planetary scientist Shuai Li from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.
As these electrons in the magnetotail hit the Moon’s surface, they contribute to the formation of frozen water, scientists say.
“When the Moon is outside of the magnetotail, the lunar surface is bombarded with solar wind,” Li added.
“Inside the magnetotail, there are almost no solar wind protons, and water formation was expected to drop to nearly zero.”
However, this doesn’t seem to be the case, as water is still forming.
One of the reasons for this is high-energy electrons reacting with the lunar soil, releasing trapped hydrogen that can then form water.
The study’s authors say their findings could help us to better understand how water is formed on the Moon.
It could also help to plan future missions to the Moon and other planets.
Moreover, the study’s findings raise questions about how water is distributed throughout our solar system.
The team concluded their study by adding that more research is needed in the future to attempt to tackle those questions.