Bandung – The dark side of the moon, which never shines with the sun, has attracted the attention of scientists around the world. Various countries are competing to reveal the dark side of the Earth’s satellite.
Quoted from detikInet, in the region, spacecraft have determined the presence of water ice deposits. That’s where several nations’ space agencies plan to send robotic probes, landers, and in a few years, possibly humans.
Why does sunlight never reach the area? Everything depends on the tilt of the Moon. We compare with Earth. With an inclination of 23.5 degrees with respect to the orbital plane, there are times when the Northern Hemisphere is pointed toward the Sun (during Boreal summer), outward (Austral summer), or both Hemispheres receive the same amount of light (autumn and spring). ). Well, this does not apply to the Moon.
Its tilt with respect to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun is 1.5 degrees. The moon is pretty much pointed vertically. This means that no matter what time the Moon moves around the Earth, sunlight hits the Moon almost perpendicularly.
So, equatorial regions get a lot of light, but it’s very easy to cast long shadows at the poles. This condition always occurs in the afternoon in the middle of winter in the polar regions of the Moon.
One mountain there, would not create permanent night conditions. When the Moon rotates, the shadows will also rotate. But if any craters were rimmed or had ledges, things would be different. The bottom and part of the wall will never be exposed to sunlight. The sun will always be behind the edge.
There is water in the crater of the Moon
Permanently dark areas of the Moon, where the temperature is always below -160°C. When ice forms there, it stays there, even in a place without atmosphere, it behaves like a rock. The ice is so cold that it can last for a billion years.
Both poles have these cold traps, but 60% are found above 80 degrees latitude at the South Pole. That is why this area is attracting such high interest from space agencies. Russia’s newest Luna 25 mission targeted this area, followed by India’s Chandrayaan-3 a few days later.
China also plans to explore this area using the Chang’e-7 rover robot which is expected to arrive there in 2026. Then there is a mission from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and do not miss Artemis 3 which is scheduled to take place in December 2025.
Origin of water on the Moon
There is a mix of water sources on the Moon and not just ice in the cold traps. Some sources of water can be found in the form of hydrated minerals, even glass grains formed after collisions between the Moon and small bodies in the Solar System.
If we consider water molecules as such and not as a possible material source for future human settlement on the Moon, water is actually found everywhere on the Moon’s surface. Sure, there’s a lot of ice in the dark craters, but actually there are even water molecules in the dust grains in the sunlit areas.
Until further research is conducted, the sources of water on the Moon cannot be fully elucidated. Ancient volcanic processes have contributed to the formation of these conditions. Ice comets and micrometeorites are also believed to be major players in this regard
This article has been published on detikInet with the title There Is A Side Of The Moon That Is Not Illuminated By The Sun, This Is Why
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2023-08-26 15:00:16
#Scientists #Reveal #Whats #Dark #Side #Moon
