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See the original image at newscientist.com

Found: first 'skylight' on the moon

newscientist.com — A deep hole on the moon that could open into a vast underground tunnel has been found for the first time. The discovery strengthens evidence for subsurface, lava-carved channels that could shield future human colonists from space radiation and other hazards.

Who dugg this? Made popular Oct 23, 2009

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  • craggatt, on 10/23/2009, -2/+29Evidence that nazi's are living in the moon, plotting evil things no doubt.
  • tryptonaut, on 10/23/2009, -0/+24Lava tubes on the moon? Gentlemen, our moon is officially more badass than we thought.
  • iamstarfox, on 10/23/2009, -0/+17Cool story. Some people seem to think the moon has been 'all explored up'... from the manned missions and the million of orbital photos. But, this just proves that there is still plenty left to explore! How neat would it be to see NASA create some type of vehicle that could enter this opening and safely climb down, to take pictures and analyze samples?!

    On a related note... How much do you want to bet that this new discovery is being jumped on by the conspiracy theorists, who probably think this is a man-made opening leading to a vast underground moon base built by ancient humans?

    Actually, that's a pretty cool thought! :)
  • dawnraid101, on 10/23/2009, -1/+18So basically the moon is like the internet, a series of tubes?
  • ramilehti, on 10/23/2009, -1/+15It's true. Read http://www.ironsky.net/ for more information.
  • ZigZagZilla, on 10/23/2009, -0/+12Or, maybe it is made of Swiss cheese after all.

    Just putting it out there.
  • numb, on 10/23/2009, -5/+17Or maybe send people that need to politicize every apolitical article on Digg.
  • Boogalou007, on 10/23/2009, -7/+18Can we send the Teabaggers there?
  • seltaeb4, on 10/23/2009, -2/+12The Monolith is down there.
  • DooM, on 10/23/2009, -0/+10You're wrong. :) The dark splotches you see on the moon are maria which were created about 3 to 4 billion years ago by volcanic activity. Lave tubes, by definition, are also caused by volcanic activity.

    Here's a link to more info if you're interested: http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/moo ...
  • inactive, on 10/23/2009, -0/+9Learn something new every day. I don't know where I got the idea it was always inactive then but thanks for the link and correction.
  • spookyttws, on 10/23/2009, -1/+10We need to be very careful handling this discovery, I'm almost certain a giant space worm lives in that tunnel. Under no circumstance should we send the Millennium Falcon down that tunnel.
  • kgerm, on 10/23/2009, -0/+9the more you know!
  • Dr3w, on 10/23/2009, -0/+9_...--===:::::{**}
  • CrimsonBlur, on 10/23/2009, -0/+8Whoever has claimed the moon is "all explored up" is just an idiot, we didn't need this discovery to prove it isn't. We live on Earth and we have still, as far as total surface area, only explored a fraction of it close enough to examine it thoroughly.

    A few very limited manned missions and photographs definitely is not enough to call anything explored, especially an extraterrestrial object that we ultimately know very little about.
  • UltimateCrouton, on 10/23/2009, -1/+9Better to move into the pre-built house instead of building it yourself.
  • MonkeyFit, on 10/23/2009, -2/+10No. That technology was put on hold until after we developed the technology to help people differentiate between "then" and "than".
  • inactive, on 10/23/2009, -0/+8Time for some more manned missions. Or at the least, a rover or two.
  • appleseed1234, on 10/23/2009, -0/+7Epic.
  • flyinfoofighter, on 10/23/2009, -2/+8I thought we had already established that it is no moon.
  • allisonaxe, on 10/23/2009, -1/+7Get Samus, if the moon is networked with cavernous underground tunnel systems, we need to be sure there's no metroids in it.
  • tek69, on 10/23/2009, -1/+6Maybe the moon is filled with grammar nazi's. Or it should be.
  • hildenborg, on 10/23/2009, -1/+5As the article says:
    "NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which should be able to snap images of the area that are at least 10 times as sharp, could help reveal more about the hole. And more lava tube openings may be found."

    So if you had read the article, you would have known that: yes we do have the technology to get better images than that.
  • azpat, on 10/23/2009, -0/+4old! H.G.Wells told us about this back in 1901.
  • aptanalogy, on 10/23/2009, -0/+3To be fair to Leia on her slow uptake there, I'm not sure I would have come to the conclusion that the asteroid was inhabited by space worms either....
  • termerjur, on 10/23/2009, -0/+3...dugg by digging trolls?
  • ptxyz, on 10/23/2009, -0/+2We should use that technology... That hole looks so photoshopped :)
  • Jpatano, on 10/23/2009, -1/+3make our own tunnels with what ? nothing gasoline powered will work on the moon, so you're talking about a MAJOR excavation/construction project on another planet (I know it's not REALLY a planet, but bear with me) with nothing but electric vehicles and tools. better bring some enormous solar panels. Plus it would be pretty hard to get all of that big, heavy equipment to the moon in the first place.

    As pointed out above, better to move into a shelter that is natural, pre-existing, and much sturdier than anything we could build anyway.
  • Jpatano, on 10/23/2009, -0/+2Wait... I thought all the conspiracy theorists were claiming that the moon landings were faked in a studio.
  • iamstarfox, on 10/23/2009, -1/+3Leia: "The cave is collapsing!"
    Han: "This is no cave."
  • inactive, on 10/23/2009, -0/+2Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think it the moon has always been inactive (as far as we know). If the moon had an active core at some point in the past we should have found more tubes long ago. Would definitely be awesome and interesting if you are correct though.
  • trevor1617, on 10/23/2009, -0/+1So who will be the first to jump in?
  • ChocChunkOaties, on 10/23/2009, -1/+2Okay, last week we blasted a rocket into the moon, now we've discovered a big hole. Is no one seeing the connection here??
    /s
  • MonsoonCrank, on 10/23/2009, -0/+1You know this be reminding me of The Gods Themselves.
  • inactive, on 10/23/2009, -2/+3Nazi moon base.
  • WhiskeyThieves, on 10/23/2009, -3/+4Don't we have the technology to get a better image then that?!
  • silversol, on 10/23/2009, -1/+2Well moon jokes and internet sarcasm never were my specialty.
  • ChocChunkOaties, on 10/23/2009, -0/+1Actually, there was a good sci-fi film that never got to DVD, very similar to what you describe. It's called Moontrap, sadly it was only ever on VHS. Still it's got Chekov in it but not one of his best films.
  • duzey, on 10/25/2009, -0/+1That's no moon. It's a space station! I know a vent when I see one; http://tinyurl.com/yznsey3
  • rolf, on 10/23/2009, -0/+1^
    Does that make me a grammar nazi?
  • JackOpfor, on 10/23/2009, -0/+1what what!! the Master Race in Outer Space? This Nazi ***** just wont Do!
  • rolf, on 10/23/2009, -0/+1A nazi's what? Robot? Dog? Mouse?
  • grantmoore3d, on 10/23/2009, -0/+1When you consider that people are still discovering new things about our own planet every day, it's not all that surprising.
  • dvsbastard, on 10/23/2009, -3/+3Or dirt on the camera lens?

    (Just joking... It is an excellent find!)
  • pln2bz, on 10/23/2009, -2/+2Re: "Their existence on the moon is hinted at based on observations of sinuous rilles – long, winding depressions carved into the lunar surface by the flow of lava. Some sections of the rilles have collapsed, suggesting that hollow lava tubes hide beneath at least some of the rilles"

    What they unfortunately fail to inform people is that some of these rilles have been observed to move both down AND UP with the terrain. Now, one could weasel their way out of that situation with various scenarios. But, there is also the other possibility that these are NOT lava tubes, but rather evidence for electromagnetic discharges. At the point where we're thinking that we can use these tubes to protect humans, it's important that we consider ALL possibilities -- not just the ones which we prefer.
  • LarkStew, on 10/23/2009, -3/+3So THAT'S where Saddam was hiding the WMD...

  • pcoleman18, on 10/23/2009, -4/+4I liked the reply the best
  • JanTik, on 10/23/2009, -3/+3Right. What we're seeing is swamp gas from a weather balloon that is trapped in a thermal pocket and is reflecting the light from Venus
  • BaphClass, on 10/23/2009, -2/+2Fridge-sized Nuclear reactors. Bring several. Problem solved.
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