Moon is coldest known place in the solar system - New Scientist

Moon is coldest known place in the solar system - space - 18 September 2009 - New Scientist

Poor Pluto. First it gets kicked out of the planet club, now it's not even the coldest place in the solar system. Dark craters near the moon's south pole have snatched that title - which is good news for the prospects of finding water ice on Earth's companion.

The craters' towering rims block the sun from reaching their centres, like the long shadows cast by tall buildings at dusk. In this permanent darkness, they stay at a constant -240° Celsius - more than 30°C above absolute zero and 10°C cooler than Pluto, which was measured at -230°C in 2006.

"The lunar south pole is among the coldest parts of the solar system and may be in fact colder than what we expect from places like Pluto," NASA scientist Richard Vondrak said at a press conference on Thursday.

The cold temperature bodes well for the prospect of finding water ice deposits in the moon's shadowy pockets. Previous calculations had shown that water and other volatile gases would dissipate into space at temperatures above about -220°C.

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