Until almost a decade ago, the moon was believed to be bone dry. However, NASA has recently announced that it has discovered traces of water trapped in the sunlit surface of the moon. According to NDTV, previous researches found “indications” of water on the surface but they were unable to distinguish whether it was water or hydroxyl – a molecule made up of one hydrogen and one oxygen atom.
For the 1st time, molecular water was discovered on a sunlit surface of the Moon, suggesting water may not be limited to cold, shadowed places. Goddard postdoc Dr. Casey Honniball, made the discovery using NASA's @SOFIAtelescope airborne observatory. https://t.co/TUFKK8Rl9x pic.twitter.com/1wiy05yS4r
— NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard) October 26, 2020
“If we find the water is abundant enough in certain locations we may be able to use it as a resource for human exploration. It could be used as drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel,” said Casey Honniball, co-author of the study.
According to The Business Times, NASA’s flying observatory ‘SOFIA’ confirmed the news. The water was found in the Moon’s Clavius Crater – one of the largest craters visible from Earth. The quantity found is roughly equivalent to a 12-ounce water bottle (350 ml approximately).
We confirmed water molecules 💦 on the Moon’s 🌖 sunlit surface for the first time! This suggests water may be distributed across the Moon’s surface, and not limited to cold, shadowed 🌑 places.
Learn more about the discovery: https://t.co/rVR6yM8NST pic.twitter.com/Y39CCtZE9U
— SOFIAtelescope (@SOFIAtelescope) October 26, 2020
Water molecules were detected in Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, in the Moon’s southern hemisphere. pic.twitter.com/O6D5IDAoyv
— SOFIAtelescope (@SOFIAtelescope) October 26, 2020
The water may be delivered by tiny meteorites that deposit it on impact. ☄️ pic.twitter.com/t0Yr0tN706
— SOFIAtelescope (@SOFIAtelescope) October 26, 2020
Or the water could be formed by the interaction of energetic particles ejected from the☀️Sun. pic.twitter.com/NcRceOzX8Y
— SOFIAtelescope (@SOFIAtelescope) October 26, 2020
And as it was expected, people online reacted to the news with hilarious jokes and memes! Several people said how it was time to shift to the moon. Have a look:
THERES WATER ON THE MOON, MOON POOL PARTY ON ME #NASA #moon pic.twitter.com/T57r95eRxn
— TheTeams (@realtheteams) October 26, 2020
NASA: Water discovered on Moon. Le Space People: #SpaceX https://t.co/djJdouMUKm pic.twitter.com/8c0WIkCb6S
— /r/SpaceX Masterrace (@SpaceXMR) October 26, 2020
Pisces, Scorpio, and Cancer moon signs hearing that NASA found water on the moon pic.twitter.com/4i8lbce9P8
— KnowTheZodiac (@KnowTheZodiac) October 26, 2020
Céline Dion fandom on their way to get water from the moon @ NASA pic.twitter.com/DmyBC5iFV0
— Vanessa (@VaneFerreyraM) October 26, 2020
NASA: “we found water on the moon; not sure yet if we can use it as a resource”
The moon: pic.twitter.com/0trB4LC3vd
— Tom Zohar (@TomZohar) October 26, 2020
ISRO Right Now….. pic.twitter.com/ZafmHrjvDw
— SPIDERMAN UK (RSS) (@KShyrush) October 26, 2020
FLY ME TO THE MOON……NOW! https://t.co/f7sDRem71l
— THE L.A. NO1 BAND IN LONDON 2019 REVERBNATION (@THELA44253326) October 27, 2020
i need to drink the Forbidden water https://t.co/qRNBqMNUtw
— lasagne (@ItchyGobarMan) October 27, 2020
That’s it! I’m moving to the moon. I’m done with most of y’all. https://t.co/3vCsr3nsSJ
— Namira Ghori (@GhoriNamira) October 27, 2020
Can we finally live on the moon or what? https://t.co/4xDbFhlKic
— Leranort™ (@Leranort1) October 27, 2020
I better get the 5 points I missed on a quiz in 6th grade for saying there was water on the moon 😡 /j https://t.co/b4ft4egHFW
— Samantha 💛🤍💜🖤 (@sam_is_crossing) October 27, 2020
Who cares, I have a sink with a tap. https://t.co/bykTKykyZ4
— ☢️☠️🇻🇦🐺Spooky S.T.A.U.N.C.H.Y🕵🏻♂️🇮🇪🎃☢️ (@Staunchies1) October 26, 2020
I don’t know about going to the moon, but astronauts will certainly have refreshments to look forward to on the moon now!