Theres less ice in moons shadows than 1st t...

What’s Happening

So basically Ice in moon’s shadows is scarce, NASA’s ShadowCam finds, with only small, scattered deposits instead of the abundant ice once expected.

The post There’s less ice in moon’s shadows than 1st thought first appeared on EarthSky. Science news, solid photos, sky alerts. (shocking, we know)

How much water-ice is there on the moon?

The Details

That question is important for future exploration of the moon. For a time, scientists spoke of easily accessible and possibly abundant surface water-ice deposits near the moons poles.

This would have been in permanently shadowed craters at the poles, which are the darkest, coldest regions of the moon. But now researchers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa have locked in a 2023 study, suggesting majorly less ice at the moons poles than we thought.

Why This Matters

The moons poles still likely hold the moons largest reservoirs of ice. But recent studies suggest those deposits might be smaller and more patchy than earlier estimates indicated. The researchers of the new study dropped in late March 2026 that ice in permanently shadowed moon craters exists only in low concentrations or small, isolated deposits.

The scientific community tends to find developments like this significant.

Key Takeaways

• The researchers used data from NASAs ShadowCam instrument on the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), also known as Danuri.
• The findings could have an impact on future human exploration of the moon.
• Astronauts will need water resources, especially for any future habitats on the moons surface.
• If there is less accessible water-ice, mission planners need to know now.

The Bottom Line

It does this reflected off near. Contrary to expectations, the researchers found no evidence of widespread water ice in the permanently shadowed regions at the moons poles.

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