Despite its prominent position in the night sky, Moon is a desolate landscape. The surface of Earth's only satellite appears mottled with great many impacts from space rocks. But there is water on Moon.

While our plans to take out-of-the-world dip on the lunar swimming pool may need a patient rethink, China's Chang'E-5 lunar has an important thing to tell us. The lunar lander has determined that the water found on Moon is indeed native to the Moon!

The researchers analysing lunar samples on Earth have published their findings in paper in Nature Communications and have confirmed the native origin of water on the Moon.

Water and Hydroxyl have been found in the lunar soil samples taken from Apollo missions. Hydroxyl has one Hydrogen atom associated with one Oxygen atom.

Some theories say that Hydroxyl ion on the Moon are mainly formed due to Hydrogen atoms in the Solar wind that hits the Moon.

The research paper said that while one-third of the Hydroxyl ions in the sample taken by Chang'E came from solar wind, rest of the Hydroxyl content came from a mineral on the Moon called apatite. In other words, water found on Moon is native to the Moon!

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

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Despite its prominent position in the night sky, Moon is a desolate landscape. The surface of Earth's only satellite appears mottled with great many impacts from space rocks.

Despite its prominent position in the night sky, Moon is a desolate landscape. The surface of Earth's only satellite appears mottled with great many impacts from space rocks. But there is water on Moon. While our plans to take out-of-the-world dip on the lunar swimming pool may need a patient rethink, China's Chang'E-5 lunar has an important thing to tell us. The lunar lander has determined that the water found on Moon is indeed native to the Moon! The researchers analysing lunar samples on Earth have published their findings in paper in Nature Communications and have confirmed the native origin of water on the Moon. Water and Hydroxyl have been found in the lunar soil samples taken from Apollo missions. Hydroxyl has one Hydrogen atom associated with one Oxygen atom. Some theories say that Hydroxyl ion on the Moon are mainly formed due to Hydrogen atoms in the Solar wind that hits the Moon. The research paper said that while one-third of the Hydroxyl ions in the sample taken by Chang'E came from solar wind, rest of the Hydroxyl content came from a mineral on the Moon called apatite. In other words, water found on Moon is native to the Moon! You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

It's confirmed, water on Moon is native to it

1.97 billion years ago, lava was still flowing on the Moon's surface, and now there is proof in the form of rocks.

According to a report published in 'Science', an international team of planetary scientists and researchers from China, Australia, Sweden and the United States has arrived at this discovery.&nbsp;In order to reach this conclusion, they studied samples collected by the Chinese National Space Agency during the Chang'e-5 mission.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/samples-brought-from-chinas-moon-trip-indicate-recent-volcanic-activity-419043">Samples brought from China's moon trip indicate recent volcanic activity</a>

Chang'e-5 was an unmanned mission consisting of a robotic lander that landed on the near side of the moon (the side facing Earth) in December 2020.

One of the mission goals of Chang'e-5 was to look for evidence of the moon's youngest volcanic eruptions.

1.7 kilograms of lunar rocks were returned to Earth, the first samples from the Moon collected since 1976 with the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission.

The number of impact craters on the lunar surface has previously been used to predict the age of volcanic rocks on the Moon, but it is impossible to confirm without samples to examine.

At the Shrimp centre in Beijing, China, the samples were analyzed using a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe instrument. Following analysis,&nbsp;scientists determined that these lava eruptions are 1.97 billion years old, which is a billion years younger than previously dated lava from the Moon.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/mars-moon-or-potato-nasa-shares-image-of-phobos-the-largest-of-mars-two-raggedy-moons-397964">Mars' moon or potato? NASA shares image of ‘Phobos’, the largest of Mars' two raggedy moons</a>

This has presented a new scientific mystery.

Volcanic eruptions are caused by molten material generated by heat inside a planet.&nbsp;For a moon-sized planet, the heat would have been dissipated long before these eruptions 2 billion years ago.

The question that arises is how a small planetary body like the Moon, which was formed 4.5 billion years ago, could have retained enough interior heat to continue producing volcanic eruptions 2.5 billion years after it was formed.

During the Moon's geological history, the surface of the Moon experienced many volcanic eruptions that formed large sheets of basaltic rock known as the lunar mare. They appear as dark patches on a lunar surface.

However, most of the volcanic activity took place between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago. Based on the age of rock samples from the Apollo and Luna missions, as well as meteorites originating from the Moon, scientists have confirmed this.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-asteroid-moon-crash-spacecraft-earth-418527">NASA to crash spacecraft into asteroid's moon to save Earth</a>

So, what is&nbsp;going on?&nbsp;Scientists have a few theories

Although scientists have previously proposed that the high concentration of radioactive elements found inside the lunar interior may have contributed to the melting of rocky stone, the composition of these samples indicates this was not the cause of the melt.

Tidal heating could also have played a role, in which heat is generated in the Moon's interior due to the stretching and squeezing caused by the gravitational interaction between the Moon, Sun and Earth.

Another possibility is that the composition of the mantle of the Moon contributed to a lower melting temperature, explaining how molten material formed.

1.97 billion years ago, lava was still flowing on the Moon's surface, and now there is proof in the form of rocks. According to a report published in 'Science', an international team of planetary scientists and researchers from China, Australia, Sweden and the United States has arrived at this discovery.

1.97 billion years ago, lava was still flowing on the Moon's surface, and now there is proof in the form of rocks. According to a report published in 'Science', an international team of planetary scientists and researchers from China, Australia, Sweden and the United States has arrived at this discovery. In order to reach this conclusion, they studied samples collected by the Chinese National Space Agency during the Chang'e-5 mission. Also read | Samples brought from China's moon trip indicate recent volcanic activity Chang'e-5 was an unmanned mission consisting of a robotic lander that landed on the near side of the moon (the side facing Earth) in December 2020. One of the mission goals of Chang'e-5 was to look for evidence of the moon's youngest volcanic eruptions. 1.7 kilograms of lunar rocks were returned to Earth, the first samples from the Moon collected since 1976 with the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission. The number of impact craters on the lunar surface has previously been used to predict the age of volcanic rocks on the Moon, but it is impossible to confirm without samples to examine. At the Shrimp centre in Beijing, China, the samples were analyzed using a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe instrument. Following analysis, scientists determined that these lava eruptions are 1.97 billion years old, which is a billion years younger than previously dated lava from the Moon. Also read | Mars' moon or potato? NASA shares image of ‘Phobos’, the largest of Mars' two raggedy moons This has presented a new scientific mystery. Volcanic eruptions are caused by molten material generated by heat inside a planet. For a moon-sized planet, the heat would have been dissipated long before these eruptions 2 billion years ago. The question that arises is how a small planetary body like the Moon, which was formed 4.5 billion years ago, could have retained enough interior heat to continue producing volcanic eruptions 2.5 billion years after it was formed. During the Moon's geological history, the surface of the Moon experienced many volcanic eruptions that formed large sheets of basaltic rock known as the lunar mare. They appear as dark patches on a lunar surface. However, most of the volcanic activity took place between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago. Based on the age of rock samples from the Apollo and Luna missions, as well as meteorites originating from the Moon, scientists have confirmed this. Also read | NASA to crash spacecraft into asteroid's moon to save Earth So, what is going on? Scientists have a few theories Although scientists have previously proposed that the high concentration of radioactive elements found inside the lunar interior may have contributed to the melting of rocky stone, the composition of these samples indicates this was not the cause of the melt. Tidal heating could also have played a role, in which heat is generated in the Moon's interior due to the stretching and squeezing caused by the gravitational interaction between the Moon, Sun and Earth. Another possibility is that the composition of the mantle of the Moon contributed to a lower melting temperature, explaining how molten material formed.

What is the significance of Chang'e-5 less than 2 billion years old lunar samples?

According to China's space agency, as the Chinese spacecraft <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-change-5-spacecraft-returning-to-earth-with-moon-samples-report-347307">Chang'e-5 </a>the Chinese flag was raised on the Moon's surface.

Watch:

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The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-lunar-probe-change-5-mission-lands-on-moon-report-346765">Chinese</a> space agency said it is the first time that "China had achieved take-off from an extraterrestrial body."

The Chang'e-5 mission was sent to the Moon to understand the origin of the Moon and to bring back Moon samples. Chinese scientists also hope to understand volcanic activity on the Moon after studying the samples from its surface.

China will be the third country to retrieve samples from the Moon, after the United States and the former Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. The last mission was undertaken by the former Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976.

Reports say the Chinese spacecraft will collect at least two kilograms of Moon samples from the area known as "Ocean of Storms". "Scientific detection was carried out as planned," China's space agency said.

According to state-run Xinhua news service, it was the "one of the most complicated and challenging missions in Chinese aerospace history" which spent 19 hours on the Moon.

The samples are expected to arrive in a capsule in China's Inner Mongolia region.

According to China's space agency, as the Chinese spacecraft Chang'e-5 the Chinese flag was raised on the Moon's surface. Watch: The Chinese space agency said it is the first time that "China had achieved take-off from an extraterrestrial body.

According to China's space agency, as the Chinese spacecraft Chang'e-5 the Chinese flag was raised on the Moon's surface. Watch: The Chinese space agency said it is the first time that "China had achieved take-off from an extraterrestrial body." The Chang'e-5 mission was sent to the Moon to understand the origin of the Moon and to bring back Moon samples. Chinese scientists also hope to understand volcanic activity on the Moon after studying the samples from its surface. China will be the third country to retrieve samples from the Moon, after the United States and the former Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. The last mission was undertaken by the former Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976. Reports say the Chinese spacecraft will collect at least two kilograms of Moon samples from the area known as "Ocean of Storms". "Scientific detection was carried out as planned," China's space agency said. According to state-run Xinhua news service, it was the "one of the most complicated and challenging missions in Chinese aerospace history" which spent 19 hours on the Moon. The samples are expected to arrive in a capsule in China's Inner Mongolia region.

China unfurls flag on Moon after Chang'e-5 mission to collect lunar samples

China's state media said today that China's lunar probe Chang'e-5 is on its way back to Earth after completing Moon sampling. Watch: Chang'e-5 was due to collect two kilograms of material from an area known in the Moon known as "Ocean of Storms".

China's state media said today that China's lunar probe Chang'e-5 is on its way back to Earth after completing Moon sampling. Watch: Chang'e-5 was due to collect two kilograms of material from an area known in the Moon known as "Ocean of Storms". It is China's first attempt to collect Moon sampling and the first since the former Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976. The Moon samples were collected by a robotic vehicle with the sample collection taking upto 19 hours, China's space agency informed. Chinese space scientists have put the return capsule onboard the orbiting module for delivery back to Earth. It is China's first lunar landing since 2013. In January 2019, the Chang'e-4 probe had landed on the far side of the Moon. Chang'e-5 probe had landed on the Moon last Tuesday and had begun drilling on the surface of the Moon hours after landing. The mission is meant to help scientists learn more about the Moon's origins. Chinese foreign ministry said the mission was "revolutionary in increasing human understanding of the history of the Moon." The spacecraft is set to land in northern China's Inner Mongolia region.

China's Chang'e-5 spacecraft returning to Earth with Moon samples: Report

China's state media said the country's Chang'e-5&nbsp;mission&nbsp;has successfully landed on the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/did-we-just-discover-the-moons-long-lost-sibling-340734">Moon</a> to retrieve lunar surface samples.

Watch:

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China had launched the spacecraft on November 24 to help scientists learn about the Moon's origins. It is the first attempt by any nation to retrieve Moon samples after the United States and the former Soviet Union nearly 50 years ago.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-launches-first-unmanned-spacecraft-to-moon-to-collect-lunar-rocks-344985">Also Read:&nbsp;China launches first unmanned spacecraft to Moon to collect lunar rocks</a>

The spacecraft will drill into the Moon's surface with a robotic arm and transfer the samples to a vehicle.&nbsp;

The Long March 5 rocket carrying the Chang'e-5&nbsp;probe had blasted off from the Wenchang Space Center on in the island province of Hainan. The mission was initially set to take off in 2017 but due to engine failure of the Long March 5 rocket had to be put off to a later date.

The Chang'e 5 spacecraft is set to bring back two kilograms of Moon surface from the "Oceanus Procellarum" part of the Moon which hasn't been explored earlier.&nbsp;

The sample is set to sent back to earth in a capsule and will likely land in northern China's Inner Mongolia region in early December.

Chinese authorities have named the Chang'e-5 mission after the ancient Chinese goddess of the Moon is the country's most ambitious project yet with the country aiming for manned mission to begin around 2022.

China is also planning to build a base on the Moon aimed at establishing a lunar mission by 2029.

 
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China's state media said the country's Chang'e-5 mission has successfully landed on the Moon to retrieve lunar surface samples. Watch: China had launched the spacecraft on November 24 to help scientists learn about the Moon's origins.

China's state media said the country's Chang'e-5 mission has successfully landed on the Moon to retrieve lunar surface samples. Watch: China had launched the spacecraft on November 24 to help scientists learn about the Moon's origins. It is the first attempt by any nation to retrieve Moon samples after the United States and the former Soviet Union nearly 50 years ago. Also Read: China launches first unmanned spacecraft to Moon to collect lunar rocks The spacecraft will drill into the Moon's surface with a robotic arm and transfer the samples to a vehicle. The Long March 5 rocket carrying the Chang'e-5 probe had blasted off from the Wenchang Space Center on in the island province of Hainan. The mission was initially set to take off in 2017 but due to engine failure of the Long March 5 rocket had to be put off to a later date. The Chang'e 5 spacecraft is set to bring back two kilograms of Moon surface from the "Oceanus Procellarum" part of the Moon which hasn't been explored earlier. The sample is set to sent back to earth in a capsule and will likely land in northern China's Inner Mongolia region in early December. Chinese authorities have named the Chang'e-5 mission after the ancient Chinese goddess of the Moon is the country's most ambitious project yet with the country aiming for manned mission to begin around 2022. China is also planning to build a base on the Moon aimed at establishing a lunar mission by 2029.

China's lunar probe Chang'e-5 mission lands on Moon: Report

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It's confirmed, water on Moon is native to it

What is the significance of Chang'e-5 less than 2 billion years old lunar samples?

China unfurls flag on Moon after Chang'e-5 mission to collect lunar samples

China's Chang'e-5 spacecraft returning to Earth with Moon samples: Report

China's lunar probe Chang'e-5 mission lands on Moon: Report