Big news, everyone: NASA says it will reveal “an exciting new discovery about the Moon” on Monday. Any guesses as to what it will be?
The space agency’s sneak-peek announcement is scant on clues, but it does reference the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Unless NASA is leading us on a wild goose chase, it seems highly likely that SOFIA — a modified Boeing 747SP jumbo jet equipped with a 2.74 m-long telescope — contributed to the finding. As NASA pointed out in its advisory, “SOFIA observes in infrared wavelengths and can detect phenomena impossible to see with visible light.”
Another possible clue: The media advisory mentions the Artemis program. NASA is currently planning to send a man and a woman to the Moon in 2024, specifically to the south polar region. The new discovery apparently “contributes to NASA’s efforts to learn about the Moon in support of deep space exploration.”
