Scientists with the Japanese space agency JAXA has identified a rather massive cave on the lunar surface which could serve as a home for colonists from Earth.
The cavern was detected using a ground-penetrating radar system aboard a JAXA probe orbiting the moon.
Believed to be the remnants of an ancient lava tube, the cave appears to be over 30 miles deep and around 300 feet wide.
Remarkably, the discovery marks the first time that astronomers can confirm the presence of such caverns on the moon as they had previously only been suspected.
What makes the find particularly tantalizing is that a lava tube has long been discussed by scientists as the ideal location from which to stage a base for astronauts to begin colonizing the moon.
This is because the sites would be structurally stable while also being deep enough below ground to protect people and equipment from the harsh conditions and potential hazards on the lunar surface.
Those dreaming of someday joining the ranks of mole people on the moon may want to hold off on packing their bags just yet as experts say it will take quite some time before any housewarming parties can be thrown.
As with any move into a new property, even a rocky cavern on the moon, a proper inspection of the inside is necessary and so astronomers hope to eventually get a look into the lava tube to see if it is habitable.
While it would be nice to find a place where humans could call home on the moon, let's hope that astronomers eventually peer inside the cavern and spot a bustling alien metropolis.
Whether the theoretical ETs in that scenario would want us to stay is another matter altogether.
Source: The Guardian