This is a huge discovery
Scientists have found a tunnel under the surface of the moon after decades of speculation.
The discovery could help space agencies as they plan to go back to the moon and potentially stay there for significant periods of time.
The caves could protect astronauts from the extreme environment on the lunar surface.
Surface temperatures on the moon can reach 127 degrees Celsius when it is hit by the Sun and can drop to -173 degrees away from the Sun.
Cosmic and solar radiation can be 150 times more powerful than on Earth and there is a constant threat of being hit by a meteorite.
As such, it is hoped that safe habitats could be built in the cave and its potential networks to shield lunar explorers.
Although the data was collected back in 2010 as part of Nasa’s ongoing Reconnaissance Orbiter, it is only now scientists have been able to confirm the discovery thanks to a new signal processing technique.
It is the first-time researchers have discovered an accessible cave which was likely a tube left by flowing lava under the moon’s surface.
Wes Patterson, from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory said: “This research demonstrates both how radar data of the Moon can be used in novel ways to address fundamental questions for science and exploration and how crucial it is to continue collecting remotely sensed data of the Moon.”
The discovery was first published in a new paper, ‘Radar Evidence of an Accessible Cave Conduit below the Mare Tranquillitatis Pit’ in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Astronomers have already found over 200 pits on the Moon’s surface which are thought to have been formed when a lava tube collapsed underneath.
It is hoped researchers can use the new technique to discover further cave networks.
