Lunar lava tube in Mare Tranquillitatis. University of Trento
For the first time, the existence of a lunar cave, which has been theorized and discussed for over 50 years, has been confirmed.
The analysis of radar data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed something beneath the Sea of Tranquility.
An international team led by the University of Trento published a study in Nature Astronomy marking a milestone in lunar knowledge.
Lunar lava tube in Mare Tranquillitatis. NASA
Lorenzo Bruzzone of the University of Trento, the research coordinator, stated, “This structure had been hypothesized for more than 50 years, but this is the first time we have confirmed its existence.”
Lunar lava tube in Mare Tranquillitatis. University of Trento
Bruzzone explained that the Miniature Radio-Frequency (Mini-RF) radar on a NASA mission in 2010 captured a series of images of the lunar surface. After years of analysis using advanced signal processing technology, researchers discovered that some radar echoes came from a specific area in the Sea of Tranquility, indicating an underground conduit. This finding provides the first direct evidence of a rocky tunnel beneath the Moon’s surface. Leonardo Carrer, the first author of the study, added, “It is very likely that this is an emptied lava tube.”
source University of Trento
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