SOFIA Finds More Water in the Moon's Southern Hemisphere
Retrieved on:
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, University, Clavius (crater), Camera, Technology, Program, Research, Christopher Clavius, Glass, Engineering, Universities Space Research Association, German Aerospace Center, Moretus, German, NASA, University of Stuttgart, Temperature, SOFIA, Geophysical Research Letters, Science, Goddard Space Flight Center, Ames Research Center, Government, National, Water, Hydrogen, Unitary state, Aircraft, FORCAST, National academy, Armstrong Flight Research Center, Lunar water, Silicon, Lunar craters, Oxygen, VIPER, USRA, DLR, Telescope, Communications satellite, Lithium, Moon
This confirmation that water is indeed present outside of Permanently Shadowed Regions on the Moon's southern hemisphere allowed the researchers to begin decoding where this water comes from.
Key Points:
- This confirmation that water is indeed present outside of Permanently Shadowed Regions on the Moon's southern hemisphere allowed the researchers to begin decoding where this water comes from.
- With its Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST), SOFIA can look at 6.1-micron emission features from the Moon, a wavelength of emission unique to water.
- And by flying above 99% of the water vapor in Earth's atmosphere, SOFIA can see what ground-based telescopes cannot.
- The SOFIA observations provide an idea of how one form of water is distributed in sunlit regions, helping to place VIPER's future measurements into a broader context.