NASA found a cave on the moon. Now, take a look inside.

The discovery of what looks to be the first cave on the moon – at the bottom of a lunar pit 200 feet deep – has jolted the scientific community and spurred hope it could be used as a base to protect future astronauts from the harsh lunar surface.

The pit, known as the Mare Tranquillitatis Pit , is in the Sea of Tranquility, or Mare Tranquillitatis , about 230 miles northeast from the Apollo 11 landing site, where humans first landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.

More: Moon caves? New discovery offers possible shelter for future explorers

We’ve known about the Mare Tranquillitatis Pit, or MTP, since it and other pits were discovered by orbiting lunar satellites in 2009.

But it wasn’t until recently that researchers, analyzing images taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2010, realized that MTP contained shaded locations that could indicate caves.

What's significant about a moon cave?

A lunar cave could provide a permanent base to shield astronauts from the moon's hostile conditions. Temperatures inside lunar caves are believed to be relatively stable at about 63 degrees , according to an American Geophysical Union report in July 2022.

Unlike Earth, the moon doesn’t have a protective atmosphere or magnetosphere , which shields the planet from solar or cosmic particle radiation, NASA says. That makes the moon’s surface a brutal environment for humans.

Temperatures are extreme, ranging from 260 degrees Fahrenheit in daylight and minus 280 degrees after nightfall, according to NASA. Temperatures are even colder in the permanent shadows of deep craters, some as low as -410 degrees.

Radiation is also a threat. Galactic cosmic rays are waves of energy particles that increase health risks , according to Science Direct.

Where the Mare Tranquillitatis cave is located

The analysis of MTP confirms long-held beliefs of scientists that caves exist on the moon. The caves are thought to be lava tubes created "when molten lava flowed beneath a field of cooled lava, or a crust formed over a river of lava, leaving a long, hollow tunnel," according to NASA.

Hundreds of lunar pits have been discovered

More than 200 lunar pits have been found , some of which could be connected to underground tunnels, according to a report by Nature Astronomy.

Images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and other satellites will be examined to determine the existence of new caves.

About the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Scientists told USA TODAY the discovery could lead to prolonged human moon landings in the future.

"This discovery suggests that the MTP is a promising site for a lunar base, as it offers shelter from the harsh surface environment and could support long-term human exploration of the Moon," the scientists wrote in the Nature Journal study.

Contributing: Krystal Nurse

Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; NASA; Nature Astronomy; space.com; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASA found a cave on the moon. Now, take a look inside.