Overview
- The peer-reviewed Nature Astronomy study, published Tuesday, reports that lunar water accumulated slowly rather than arriving in a single giant impact.
- Using LRO temperature maps and computer models, researchers matched the longest-shadowed craters to the strongest ultraviolet ice signals from the LAMP instrument.
- Separate high-resolution images from ShadowCam found no clear optical signs of surface ice at levels it could detect, which points to diffuse or buried deposits.
- The team estimates that in shadowed regions older than about 100 million years roughly 3.4 percent of the surface shows exposed ice, indicating ongoing cycles of deposition and loss.
- Scientists highlight Haworth Crater near the south pole as a prime search site and plan new instruments such as L-CIRiS in 2027, yet say only sample analysis can resolve origin and resource value.