Scientists scrutinizing the fine dust covering the moon have discovered boulders on the surface that they believe may be covered in unique magnetized dust.
The team used artificial intelligence to review approximately one million images of the lunar surface taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Artificial intelligence revealed 130,000 images of rocks with eye-catching features, half of which the researchers reviewed.Their research is publish In Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.
On the Moon, a rocky satellite free of wind and erosion, dust is more than just a powdery irritant. The debris is still small, like the stuff that causes us to sneeze on Earth, but the lunar dust is sharp and electrostatically charged. By poring over images of boulders on the moon, researchers hope to find a superlative rock that could reveal newly discovered properties.
Ottaviano Rüsch, a researcher at Wilhelmünster University in Westphalia and lead author of the study, said: “We discovered a boulder with a unique dark area in just one image. ” release. “This rock is very different from other rocks because it scatters less light towards the sun than other rocks. We suspect this is due to the special structure of the dust, such as its density and grain size.”
The team concluded that boulders were ejected when Renner K crater formed. Aside from their photometric properties — that is, how these dusty boulders look compared to other lunar rocks — “these dusty boulders showed no additional differences compared to other boulders,” the team said. wrote in the study.
“Normally, lunar dust is highly porous and reflects a large amount of light in the direction of illumination,” study co-author Marcel Hess, a researcher at TU Dortmund, said in the press release. “However, “When dust is compacted, the overall brightness usually increases. This is not the case for dusty rocks observed.”
So what is going on with all this dust?The team isn’t quite sure, but lunar apex Mission may have the answer. The solar-powered lander plans to explore more than 1.2 miles of the Reina Gamma region, where it will collect some of the magnetic signatures of the lunar surface. If the lander focuses on the dust’s photometric behavior, it could clarify why the dust looks different from other lunar dust, potentially revealing details of the moon’s formation or impact history, the team wrote.
more: Japan’s historical fate – Power failure puts “Moon Sniper” in doubt
