The Moon and its surface have been observed by scientist since 1950. The observations have been named as transient lunar phenomena, and to put it more simply, it means the appearance of short flashes of light right on the surface of the Moon. The event is happening a few times a week, and it’s lasting for hours. Of course, since the discovery of the flashlights, many theories have been released to explain the phenomenon, but a team of researchers believes that something else is behind it.
A new theory
The previous theories have been explaining the transient lunar phenomena as a brief glow from the impact of a meteor, or the Moondust is reacting with the electrical charges from the Sun. But now, researchers from the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg are coming with another theory. They have explained that the luminous phenomenon is lasting for hours because of the movements of the surface. The gases are escaping from the interior of the Moon and are reflecting the sunlight.
Besides this, for doing the research, they have constructed their lunar telescope which is placed now in Spain, in the North of Seville. The telescope is controlled only form the University, in Bavaria, Germany. They have constructed the telescope with two cameras that are watching the Moon, and it’s taking action when both cameras are simultaneously detecting these flashes of light. After that, photos and videos are made and are sent by email to the team.
Also, Hakan Kayal, Professor of Space Technology, says that seismic activities have been observed on the Moon that is maybe, one of the reasons for the luminous phenomenon. Of course, the telescope will need a lot of work in the future, and they are planning even a satellite mission for lunar observations.
Finally, the team will use even an artificial intelligence for distinguishing the short flashes on the Moon from other objects and technical faults.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.