Scientists believe that the moon could be siphoning water from the Earth, which explains the existence of moisture in the barren dust ball revolving around the planet.
According to a study, this has been going on for billions of years. It has been that asteroids and comets deposited them on Earth's satellite, but another unlikely source is considered.
Earth's Atmosphere as Lunar Water Source
The lunar body sucks water from the Earth's atmosphere, which the authors said is the least expected hypothesis, reported Science Alert.
According to researchers, hydrogen and oxygen ions escaping from our planet's upper atmosphere and mixing on the lunar surface might have generated up to 3,500 cubic kilometers (840 cubic miles) of surface frozen or beneath liquid water.
As the satellite passes through the Earth's magnetosphere's tail, a teardrop-shaped bubble encircling Earth impacted by its magnetic field, hydrogen and oxygen ions are propelled into the lunar surface. It occurs for five days in every lunar month, cited Space Ref.
As a result of the Sun's solar wind pushing on this bubble, some of Earth's magnetic field lines are broken, with only one end tethered to the planet.
When the moon collides with the tail of Earth's magnetosphere, some of these broken connections are repaired, causing hydrogen and oxygen ions that had previously fled Earth's atmosphere to rush to the satellite's surface.
Gunther Kletetschka, a geophysicist from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said this about the hypothesis. He added the moon is struck by water ions returning to Earth, but it is on the orbiting satellite, noted UAF.
The lunar surface is in a shower of water ions coming back to Earth and falling on it, according to geophysicist Gunther Kletetschka from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
It lacks magnetosphere-like Earth that makes the ions strike the lunar landscape that builds up permafrost. Does explain that some of the frosts will affect the surface and go under it to create water in the reaction.
Scientists think these ions had slowly formed over billions of years since the Late Huge Bombardment when the young Earth and its lunar satellite were pummeled by massive strikes from other celestial bodies hurtling through space.
Gravitational information from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was applied to analyze the polar regions and many notable craters in considerable detail. The research showed discrepancies that could be generated by bedrock fractures capable of trapping permafrost.
Water Formed From Escaping Hydrogen, Oxygen Ions
Geological forms on the surface should be able to trap and result in large subsurface liquid water reservoirs, mentioned Nature.
An estimate over the last 3.5 billion years, thousands of cubic kilometers of water phase may have accumulated in the moon's subsurface.
While water on the lunar surface is thought to come from several sources, including hydrogen and oxygen interactions triggered by solar winds, experts claim that this is how a large portion of it came.
The estimated accretion would be enough to fill North America's Lake Huron. Craters and rock cracks could eventually provide necessary protection to keep the water from escaping back into space.
NASA is keen to build a colony on the moon, and for that to work, a nearby water source is required that will be helped by the study.
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