An Italian-led team of researchers says the cave could be used to house future astronauts and explorers.
Scientists have confirmed the existence of an underground cave on the Moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago, and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts.
An Italian-led team of scientists said Monday there is evidence of a large cave, accessible from the deepest known shaft on the moon. The cave is located in the Sea of Tranquility, 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the Apollo 11 landing site.
Scientists said the pit, like more than 200 others discovered on the moon, was created by the collapse of a lava tube.
“Lunar caves have been a mystery for more than 50 years. That’s why it was exciting to finally be able to prove the existence” of one, Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone of the University of Trento told The Associated Press in an email.
In a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the researchers added that they analyzed radar measurements from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and compared the results to lava tubes on Earth.
According to scientists, the radar data reveal only the initial part of the underground cavity, which is at least 40 meters wide and tens of meters long, probably more.
In addition, most of the pits appear to be located on the Moon's ancient lava plains, according to scientists. There may also be some at the Moon's south pole, the site where NASA astronauts are planned to land later this decade.
The permanently shadowed craters are thought to contain frozen water that could provide drinking water and rocket fuel.
During NASA's Apollo program, 12 astronauts landed on the Moon, beginning with Armstrong and Aldrin on July 20, 1969.
The findings also suggested there could be hundreds of pits on the moon and thousands of lava tubes.
The team of researchers said that these places could serve as a natural shelter for astronauts, protecting them from cosmic rays and solar radiation, as well as from micrometeorite impacts.
