Parts of the Moon may provide stable temperatures for humans, researchers find

US: In early human history, caves provided people with protection from the elements and a place to call home. Now, similar formations on the Moon could provide pioneering astronauts with a lunar safe haven, thanks to their Earth-like temperatures.

The Moon has pits with shaded areas that steadily hover around 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius), a temperate range that’s stable for humans, found researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles. The journal Geophysical Research Letters published the study in July.

These pit craters, which may potentially lead to caves that could also provide human shelter, have temperatures that could make lunar exploration and long-term human habitation on the moon safer, as scientists would be able to set up thermally stable base camps.

Unlike the Moon’s surface, which heats up to 260 degrees Fahrenheit (127 degrees Celsius) during the day and drops to minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 173 degrees Celsius) at night, these lunar pits in the Mare Tranquillitatis region have a human-friendly, stable temperature.

The data comes from an analysis of images taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft and computer modeling. – CNN