DistantNews
🇰🇷 South Korea /Environment & Climate

Found Ice-Filled Craters on the Moon's South Pole

From Hankyoreh · (7m ago) Korean Positive tone

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Scientists have identified a crater near the Moon's south pole, Howorth crater, as a prime location for abundant ice deposits.
  • Analysis of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data suggests that older craters, exposed to prolonged darkness, contain significantly more ice.
  • The discovery is crucial for future lunar missions, as water ice can be used for drinking, life support, and rocket fuel.

The quest to understand lunar water has taken a significant leap forward with the identification of Howorth crater near the Moon's south pole as a potential ice reservoir. This finding, published in Nature Astronomy, is the culmination of meticulous analysis of data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and builds upon earlier discoveries of water on the Moon, dating back to India's Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2008.

Scientists have found a crater near the Moon's south pole that appears to be rich in ice.

— Article AuthorIntroducing the main finding of the research.

The research team, from the University of Colorado Boulder and the Planetary Science Institute, focused on the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) – areas that never see sunlight. Their study revealed a compelling correlation: older craters, those that have been in shadow for billions of years, harbor a higher proportion of ice. This suggests a long-term accumulation process rather than a singular event.

The proportion of ice area in young, 100-million-year-old permanently shadowed regions was 3.4%, while in 1.5-billion-year-old regions, it was as high as 13%.

— Article AuthorPresenting data on the correlation between crater age and ice content.

One of the key insights comes from tracking the Moon's axial tilt over eons. As the Moon's tilt decreased from 5 degrees around 3.2 billion years ago to its current 1.5 degrees, the polar regions became more exposed to prolonged darkness, expanding the PSRs. This geological history helps explain why craters like Howorth, estimated to have been in shadow for over 3 billion years, are so rich in ice. The extreme cold within these deep craters, dipping to -230 degrees Celsius, ensures that any incoming water molecules freeze instantly, preserving them for eons.

The most powerful ice signal was detected in the Howorth crater, which likely has been in a shaded area for over 3 billion years.

— Article AuthorHighlighting the Howorth crater as a key location for ice deposits.

While the exact origin of lunar water remains a subject of scientific debate—with theories ranging from volcanic outgassing and cometary impacts to solar wind interactions—this study strongly indicates that polar ice is a product of long-term accumulation. The implications for future lunar exploration, particularly for the planned US and Chinese bases in the 2030s, are immense. Access to water ice is critical for sustaining human presence, providing not only drinking water and oxygen but also the hydrogen and oxygen needed for rocket fuel. The development of instruments like the Lunar Small Infrared Imaging System (L-CIRiS) further underscores the commitment to unlocking the secrets held within these icy lunar deposits.

The Howorth crater, located about 77 km from the lunar south pole, is 51.4 km in diameter and has a floor depth of 4 km, making it an excellent condition for preserving ice.

— Article AuthorDescribing the physical characteristics of the Howorth crater.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog