The Moon once possessed a thick atmosphere capable of driving windstorms

Space · Published 18 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: While the Moon today is a dry desert of near-vacuum, recent research suggests a much more dynamic past. Billions of years ago, a significant atmosphere likely existed, potentially providing the very water we now find in its shadowed craters.

Today, the Moon's atmosphere is an exosphere—a layer of gas so sparse it is mostly empty space. In contrast to the thick, high-collision atmosphere of Earth where particles frequently strike each other, lunar molecules are sparse enough to traverse vast stretches without impact. This environment is almost entirely composed of helium, neon, and argon, with trace amounts of sodium, potassium, and hydrogen. In fact, a single cubic centimeter of Earth's atmosphere contains roughly 10^19 molecules, whereas the Moon holds fewer than 10^6.

However, planetary scientists Debra Needham and David Kring have uncovered evidence of a much more robust era. By analyzing lunar basalts—volcanic rocks brought back by Apollo crews—they found that between 3.9 and one billion years ago, massive lava eruptions released significant amounts of gases. This short-lived atmosphere, which lasted approximately 70 million years, was thicker than the current atmosphere of Mars and likely contained carbon monoxide, sulfur, and water.

The implications for space exploration are profound. The researchers estimate that the volume of water released during these eruptions could have been three times the amount found in the Chesapeake Bay. If even 0.1 percent of that water migrated to the Moon's permanently shadowed regions, it could account for all the water currently detected there. This discovery transforms our view of the Moon from a dead rock into a body with a complex, volatile-rich history, offering potential resources for future human habitation.

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