A study of data collected by the Chandrayaan-3 mission has suggested that ice could be present at more locations right beneath the Moon’s surface at the poles than previously thought. An expert said that large, yet highly local, changes in surface temperatures can directly affect the formation of ice and these ice particles can reveal "different stories about their origin and history".
Durga Prasad Karanam, Faculty, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, told PTI that the formation can also tell us about how ice accumulated and moved through the Moon's surface over time, which can provide insights into the natural satellite's early geologic processes, he said. The findings are published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission, launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from Bengaluru, achieved a soft landing near the Moon's south pole on August 23, 2023. The landing site was named the 'Shiv Shakti Point' three days later on August 26.
For this study, the researchers analysed temperatures measured at and to a depth of 10 centimetres beneath the lunar surface. Measurements were taken by the 'ChaSTE' probe on-board the Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander.
The lander touched down at the edge of the Moon's south pole region, about 69 degrees south latitude. At this landing site -- "a Sun-facing slope angled at six degrees" -- the authors found that temperatures peaked at about 82 degrees Celsius and dropped to -170 degrees Celsius in the night.
However, barely a metre away from the landing point -- a flat surface -- temperatures peaked at about 60 degrees Celsius. "That slight slope resulted in an increased solar radiation at the ChaSTE penetration point," Karanam said.
In response to PTI's question on the chances of ice turning into water on the Moon, Karanam said, "Water in liquid form cannot exist on the lunar surface because of (an) ultra-high vacuum. Therefore, ice cannot transform into liquid, but would rather sublimate to vapour form. As of the present understanding, Moon might not have had habitable conditions in the past," Karanam said.
(With PTI inputs)