A new study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters shows that the solar wind may not be the only source of ions that form water on the moon. Researchers show that particles from the Moon with water imply that other planets can also contribute water to their satellites. Water is predominant in space. It is available from the surface of Mars to the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn, comets, asteroids and Pluto.
The moon could get water from the “wind”
Water was detected in clouds that are far from the solar system. Previously, it was assumed that water was incorporated into these objects during the formation of the solar system. However, over time, there has been evidence that water in space is predominant and much more dynamic. Various computer models have predicted that up to half of the lunar surface water should evaporate and disappear in high-latitude regions during the full moon.
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The latest analysis of hydroxyl surface maps / surface water by the Chandrayaan-1 Moon Mineralogy Mapper satellite revealed that lunar surface water does not disappear during this period of protection of the magnetosphere. Even though the Earth’s magnetic field is thought to block the solar wind from reaching the moon. However, researchers later learned that this was never the case.
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The researchers compared the time series of water surface maps before, during and after the transit of the magnetosphere and argued that lunar water could be fed by magnetosphere ion streams. These are called the “wind of the earth.” Later, the Kaguya satellite confirmed the presence of these ions derived from Earth near the Moon.
TheMIS-ARTEMIS satellite observations were also used to outline the distinctive features of the ions. Previous observations of the Kaguya satellite during the full moon detected high concentrations of oxygen isotopes. These were runoff from the Earth’s ozone layer and incorporated into the lunar soil. This was also present with an abundance of hydrogen ions in the Earth’s exosphere.
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