Map Of Moon’s Water Near Its South Pole – Revealed

A visualization of SOFIA data measuring a signal or “light signature” of water overlaid on a visualization of the Moon as it appeared at the time of the observations in Feb. 2022. Darker blue indicates a higher concentration of water. Near the top left of the studied region, a ridge is visible in dark blue, where the water is particularly concentrated on the shady side of a steep lunar feature. Halfway down the left side of the region is Moretus Crater. The inner wall on the crater’s upper half is clearly delineated in dark blue, indicating a greater presence of water on this shady surface. Although the right side of the region is drier overall, water can still be seen tracing the insides of craters in light blue. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio/Ernie Wright

A new study using the now-retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has pieced together the first detailed, wide-area map of water distribution on the moon. SOFIA was a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR.

With clear, identifiable lunar features marked out by the water data, the study provides hints about how water may be moving across the moon’s surface, particularly near its south pole—an important area for space exploration.

The new map covers about one-quarter of the Earth-facing side of the lunar surface below 60 degrees latitude and extends to the moon’s south pole. Given the large region covered, the researchers could easily identify how water relates to surface features on the moon, staying away from sunlight and favoring cold areas.

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