
The mineral might be the evidence we needed to prove there’s water on the moon
Researchers have always been wondering if there’s water on the moon. Although they developed some theories, they still could not answer the question. Now, a team of scientists from Japan might have found some evidence that there is frozen water beneath the lunar surface. They are currently trying to confirm their beliefs and prove the presence of water on the moon.
The mineral is a direct result of water
If this theory turns out to be true, the findings might mean a lot for the future lunar exploration missions. Researchers are quite optimistic about their results, and soon hope they can prove it. The evidence they think might support the presence of water on the moon is a mineral called moganite.
Researchers spotted this mineral about 13 years ago as part of a lunar meteorite that fell in Africa. The discovery is remarkable, since this mineral can form only if there’s water around. Also, after comparing this sample to those brought from the Apollo missions, they discovered the latter showed no traces of water or other minerals that might prove its presence.
This meteorite piece seems to have reached Earth whenever different cosmic bodies crashed with the moon. Researchers think it is about 17,000 years old. Therefore, the explanation might be that asteroids, comets, or other space objects brought water on the moon. Gradually, it got trapped beneath its surface, and further clashes broke the lunar pieces containing water and delivered it on Earth.
Researchers need more evidence to prove the presence of water on the moon
However, there is another explanation as well. The meteorite might not prove the presence of water on the moon. It’s possible that the mineral ended up in the meteorite after its collision with Earth. Yet, researchers are optimistic and say it couldn’t have been created in such a dire environment as the desert.
To prove this is a sign of water on the moon, they need to analyze a few other samples. Some other theories hinted there could be some water trapped at the lunar South Pole, but researchers need more evidence to support this. The study on the meteorite was published in the journal Science Advances.
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