Although many people don't know it, the Moon contains water and in large volume, dispersed in "glass drops". These drops arose from the collision of asteroids with the Moon, according to new research carried out by scientists in China.
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The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience, in which the first soil samples from the Moon were analysed. See the main findings:
Scientists find water in the moon's soil
A survey conducted by scientists Chinese studies samples of lunar soil dating from the first man on the moon, in the 1970s. They seek to understand how water is stored on the Moon, especially in regions outside the lunar poles.
lunar water cycle
The scientists explain that, in order to sustain the water cycle on the lunar surface, the existence of a layer of deep water in the lunar soil would be necessary.
According to them: “However, finding this reservoir seemed elusive, despite several studies having investigated the inventory of water in fine grains of minerals in lunar soil.”
It was from the glass droplets that scientists had the insight to investigate a new water reservoir. These drops, which were formed by the collision with asteroids, have substantial amounts of water and served as inspiration for the research.
Study samples
The samples used by the researchers in the study were obtained by the Chang'e-5 space mission, which returned soil samples from the Moon in 2020.
With this sample bank, several partnerships were made between Chinese research institutions, such as Nanjing University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. These institutions chose 150 grains, with varying sizes.
glass drops
With the analyses, the scientists propose the theory that these glass drops were loaded with water resulting from the impact with solar winds. These solar winds transport the hydrogen and oxygen ions that make up the water molecule.
According to the study's estimate, more than 270 trillion kilograms of water could be stored on the Moon.
