Scientists have discovered rocks with unique dust on the surface of the Moon.
.in_text_content_22 { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 600px) { .in_text_content_22 { width: 580px; height: 400px; } }
The discovery was made based on artificial intelligence analysis of about a million images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft orbiting the Moon. This was reported by the press service of the University of Münster (Germany).
In their study, scientists looked for cracked rocks on the Moon. As a result, the search algorithm discovered about 130 thousand interesting stones, half of which scientists carefully studied.
We recognized a boulder with characteristic dark areas in only one image. This rock was very different from all the others because it scatters less light back toward the Sun than other rocks, the researchers noted. “We suspect that this is due to the special structure of the dust, in particular its density and grain size.
Typically, moon dust is very porous and reflects a lot of light back in the direction of illumination. However, as the dust becomes denser, the overall brightness usually increases. This is not the case with the observed dust-covered rocks, the scientists add.
These new findings are expected to help scientists understand the processes that form and modify the lunar crust.
The moon is almost completely covered in dust:
- Unlike earthly dust, this dust is not smoothed by wind and weather, but has sharp edges and is also electrostatically charged;
- This dust has been studied since the Apollo missions in the late 1960s, and now, for the first time, an international research team has discovered anomalous meter-sized rocks on the surface of the Moon, covered in dust and likely having unique properties, such as magnetic anomalies. “The scientists’ most important finding is that only a few boulders on the Moon contain dust with very special reflective properties. For example, the dust on these newly discovered boulders reflects sunlight differently than on previously known rocks,” the article notes.
Magnetic anomalies are known to exist on the Moon, especially near an area called Rainer Gamma. However, the question of whether rocks can be magnetic has never been explored.
Current knowledge about the magnetic properties of the Moon is very limited, so these new rocks will shed light on the history of the Moon and its magnetic core, the researchers note. “We studied the interaction of dust with rocks in the Rainer gamma-ray region for the first time.”
According to scientists, a better understanding of the movement of lunar dust could help, for example, in planning future human settlements on the Moon.
After all, from the experience of the Apollo astronauts, we know that dust creates many problems, such as pollution of the living environment (for example, space stations) and technical equipment, the article notes.
Scientists have explained why the two sides of the Moon are so different.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.