Space

Water may be forming on the moon thanks to Earth’s magnetic field

For a few days each month, as the full moon sweeps through the stretched-out tail of Earth’s magnetic field, high-energy electrons seem to be helping form water molecules on the lunar surface

By Alex Wilkins

3 October 2023

Earth and the moon — As the moon orbits Earth, it can pass through the long tail of Earth’s magnetic field, which seems to create water on the lunar surface
sondem/Alamy

Electrons from Earth’s magnetic field may help to form water on the lunar surface during a full moon – although whether astronauts could harvest enough to drink it is unclear.

Water is made from hydrogen and oxygen, so can form when these two elements react. Because a hydrogen atom only has a single proton, sources of protons can serve as charged hydrogen atoms to bond with oxygen. Astronomers have previously observed that high-energy protons…