Meanwhile, our nearest celestial neighbor - the Moon - is seemingly overlooked.

另一方面，離我們最近的天體——月球，似乎受到忽略。

And that's, in part, because the Moon isn't exactly a haven for humanity.

部分原因是因為，月球並不是人類的避風港。

The lunar surface is covered with dead volcanoes, massive craters and potentially poisonous dust.

月球表面覆蓋著死火山、巨大的隕石坑和潛在的有毒塵埃。

It's also constantly bombarded by space rocks raining down on its surface due to its very

由於月球非常稀薄和薄弱的大氣層 (外氣層)，

thin and weak atmosphere known as an exosphere.

月球表面常遭受太空岩石如雨般的轟擊。

On top of that, this ultra thin layer of gases

最重要的是，這種超薄的氣體層

doesn't provide any protection from the sun's radiation.

無法針對太陽輻射提供任何保護。

But some scientists believe this wasn't always the case.

但是，有些科學家相信情況並非總是如此。

Recent NASA findings show that there might have been a time when the Moon had a prominent

NASA 近期的調查表明，月球可能曾有個重要的大氣層，

atmosphere, and it could make the Moon a stronger contender for colonization.

使月球成為殖民的有力競爭者。

Billions of years ago, after the formation of the inner solar system, it's believed,

數十億年前，在太陽系內部形成後，據相信，

that the young planets and the moon were pummeled by space rocks

年輕的行星和月球都受到太空岩石和

and other leftover planet-building material.

其他行星組成的剩餘物質所撞擊。

The period known as the Late Heavy Bombardment or LBH is thought to have lasted millions

這時期稱為後期重轟炸期，也叫做 LBH，一般認為持續數百萬年，

of years, and damage from this violent period was seen in craters on some of the inner planets and the Moon.

並在一些內行星和月球的隕石坑中，看到這暴力時期的破壞。

There, the LBH triggered a series of volcanic eruptions.

LBH 那時引發一系列火山爆發。

Lava filled the lunar craters, creating seas that stretched for hundreds of kilometers across its surface.

熔岩填滿月球隕石坑，在表面形成數百公里的海洋。

During this period, it's thought that the lunar lava emitted gas components or volatiles

在此期間，通常認為月球熔岩會排放出氣體成分或揮發物，

like carbon monoxide, sulfur, hydrogen and oxygen.

如一氧化碳、硫磺、氫和氧。

As the lava spread, the volatiles accumulated and formed a transient atmosphere.

隨著熔岩擴散，揮發物會累積並形成一種短暫的大氣層。

The ancient atmosphere was believed to be much thinner than Earth's current atmosphere,

據信以前的大氣層比地球目前的還要更厚，

but 1.5 times thicker than Mars' current atmosphere.

但比火星目前的大氣層薄 1.5 倍。

The eruptions lasted for about 70 million years, and it's estimated that trillions of

火山爆發持續約 7000 萬年，估計有數兆加侖的

gallons of water was released during this period.

水在此期間釋放出來。

As the atmosphere started to thin out, the volatiles were either lost to space or became part of the surface of the Moon.

大氣開始變稀薄時，揮發物會消失於太空中，或成為月球表面的一部分。

Researchers believe it's possible that a significant amount of water may have made its way to the

研究人員認為，可能有大量的水已經進入

lunar poles and could be trapped in permanently shadowed regions.

月球的極地，而且可能困在恆暗區。

In fact, NASA's new analysis quantifies a source of volatiles based on lunar samples collected during the Apollo missions.

事實上，NASA 根據阿波羅計畫收集到的月球樣本，做出新的分析，確定了揮發物的來源。

And these volatiles could provide key resources - like water, air and fuel

而這些揮發物可以提供關鍵資源，如水、空氣、燃料，

- for extended moon missions and beyond.

用於延長月球任務和往後的任務。

So while Mars is still a frontrunner when it comes to colonization, revelations about

因此，雖然火星在殖民上還是首選，但關於

the Moon's past and its potential presence of water continue to prove that there is still

月球的過去和可能存在水的跡象，不斷證明在我們將月球排除在外前，

a lot more lunar exploration needed before we count the Moon out.

還需要做更多的月球探測。

If you want to see more Space Crafts check out this playlist here.

如果你想看更多「Space Crafts 」的影片，看看這裡的播放清單。

And be sure to let us know in the comments what astronomical phenomena you want to learn more about.

記得在留言區告訴我們，你想了解的天文現象。

Thanks for watching Seeker! Don't forget to subscribe.

謝謝觀看 Seeker 的影片！別忘了訂閱。