Widespread hydration was detected on the lunar surface through observations of a characteristic absorption feature at 3 µm by three independent spacecraft 1-3. Whether the hydration is molecular water (H 2 O) or other hydroxyl (OH) compounds is unknown and there are no established methods to distinguish the two using the 3 µm band 4. However, a fundamental vibration of molecular water produces a spectral signature at 6 µm that is not shared by other hydroxyl compounds 5. Here, we present observations of the Moon at 6 µm using the NASA/DLR Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Observations reveal a 6 µm emission feature at high lunar latitudes due to the presence of molecular water on the lunar surface. On the basis of the strength of the 6 µm band, we estimate abundances of about 100 to 400 µg g −1 H 2 O. We find that the distribution of water over the small latitude range is a result of local geology and is probably not a global phenomenon. Lastly, we suggest that a majority of the water we detect must be stored within glasses or in voids between grains sheltered from the harsh lunar environment, allowing the water to remain on the lunar surface. Using SOFIA and the Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) instrument, we conducted observations of the lunar surface at 6 µm on 31 August 2018 in a search for molecular water. FORCAST is well suited to look for 6 µm lunar water due to its wavelength coverage from 5 to 8 µm, spectral resolution of R = 200 and high signal-to-noise ratios. The FORCAST entrance slit that defines the portion of the Moon observed is 2.4 × 191 arcsec sampled with 248 pixels. At the lunar centre of disk the slit has a spatial extent of 4.8 × 1.5 km 2 (the spatial resolution near the limb is lower due to foreshortening). During the observations, the Moon was at a phase angle of 57.5°. We observed a region at high southern latitudes near Clavius crater and a low-latitude portion of Mare Serenitatis (Extended Data Fig. 1). Details regarding observations, site selection and data reduction can be found in the Methods. Data from SOFIA reveal a strong 6 µm emission band at Clavius crater and the surrounding terrain (Fig. 1) relative to the control location near the lunar equator, which shows low hydration in some analyses (see Methods). All spectra from the Clavius region exhibit this 6 µm emission feature. The majority of these emission peaks (98%) exceed 2σ significance relative to the background noise, and about 20% exceed 4σ significance (Extended Data Fig. 2). To determine whether the spectral properties of the lunar 6 µm band are consistent with spectra of particulate water-bearing materials, we examined other planetary materials that show a 6 µm