WASHINGTON — NASA has for the first time confirmed the presence of molecular water on sunlit regions of the Moon, indicating that lunar water is more widespread than previously known.<br /><br />The results were published in the latest issue of Nature Astronomy, along with a separate study that looked at how regions of permanent shadow on the Moon could keep water trapped on the lunar surface.<br /><br />The water was detected in Clavius crater, located in the Moon's southern hemisphere and one of the largest craters visible from Earth.<br /><br />To detect the water, NASA used its Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, a modified Boeing 747 that can carry a telescope into the stratosphere.<br /><br />Before SOFIA's results, according to a press release published on NASA's website, scientists had found evidence of hydration in sunlit regions, but it was not clear if they had detected water or hydroxyl.
