SOFIA Discovers Water on a Sunlit Surface of the Moon

Scientists using NASAs telescope on an airplane, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, discovered water on a sunlit surface of the Moon for the first time. SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that allows astronomers to study the solar system and beyond in ways that are not possible with ground-based telescopes. Molecular water, H2O, was found in Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth in the Moons southern hemisphere. This discovery indicates that water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to cold, shadowed places.

Learn more: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-sofia-discovers-water-on-sunlit-surface-of-moon Video credit: NASA/Ames Research Center

This video can be downloaded from the NASA Image and Video Library at: https://images.nasa.gov/details-ARC-20201026-AAV3272-SOFIA-MoonWater-Shareable-NASAWeb

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