Jordanian Astronomical Society: Discovery of a cave on the moon

2024-07-19 2024-07-19T11:02:46Z

Weather of Arabia - Dr. said. Ammar Al-Sakkji, President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, said that the journal Natural Astronomy published on July 15, 2024 a scientific research entitled “Radar evidence of the existence of a cave under the Mare Tranquillitatis crater under the surface of the moon.”

This study, based on the analysis of radar data collected by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ( LRO), revealed the existence of a cave under the surface of the moon that may be an ideal base for explorers and astronauts. This cave is near an open crater called Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility), and it has been named Given this name by astronomers Francesco Grimaldi and Giovanni Battista in 1651, it can be observed from Earth with the naked eye with difficulty or using binoculars, in the moon phase from first quarter until full moon, and it is close to the place where the astronauts landed within the Apollo 11 project in The end of the sixties of the last century, and it can be accessed from the surface of the moon, and this cave could be a major site for building a lunar base in the future.

The deepest known crater on the Moon

Mare Tranquillitatis is the deepest known crater on the Moon, with a width of 100 metres. It leads to a cave 80 meters long and 45 meters wide. The cave is located at a depth of 150 meters below the surface of the Moon. Scientists believe that this cave is an empty lava tunnel and may be used in the future. As a natural refuge to protect explorers and astronauts from the harsh lunar environment, because the temperature inside is relatively stable and there is protection from cosmic rays, solar winds, and small meteorite rocks.

Orbital lunar reconnaissance vehicles have observed craters on the surface of the moon for more than 10 years, and their number may exceed 200 craters, which are empty tunnels of lava. However, the latest discovery will be important, because it is the largest and useful for studying the rocks inside these caves. Lunar geophysics can provide us with evidence of the formation of the Moon, or that it contains water ice. Many theories have been developed about lunar caves for five decades, but analysis of radar data is considered practical evidence of their existence.