Mystery as astronomers spot the Moon ‘flashing at us over and over’ – and no one knows why
HUMANS have been noticing flashes of light coming from the Moon for thousands of years but we still don't understand why this happens or what causes it.
The strange occurrence is know as a transient lunar phenomenon (TLP) and an astronomer from Germany thinks he's on the cusp of solving this moon mystery.
Hakan Kayal from the University of Würzburg in Bavaria is working on a project that might reveal what causes the quick shifts of light and darkness on the Moon.
He is using a brand new type of telescope system that is based in Spain and it's already making progress, despite only being used since April.
Kayal describes the TLP flashes as bursts of light that last for seconds but notes that some 'flashes' have been observed lighting up the Moon surface for hours at a time.
Some other experts describe the light spikes as sparkly and red or pink.
TLP is often observed a few times a week and can sometimes leave dark spots on the Moon.
Popular explanations for them include meteorite impacts and gas released from moonquakes reflecting light abnormally.
The first confirmed sighting of TLP was made by a Russian astronomer in 1958 and the European Space Agency has since made a special telescope, called NELIOTA, which discovered that the flashes happen far more often that people first thought.
This is why explaining the flashing Moon is so hard because it happens so often and there could be multiple reasons for it.
Kayal's new telescope system, which is still being developed, is fairly low budget and involves two telescopes that constantly observe the Moon with cameras and relay what they see to computers powered by artificially intelligent software.
This AI software is tasked with distinguishing lunar flashes from other bright phenomenon, like meteorites, so the possible causes of TLP can be whittled down.
Astronomers think it is important to understand what causes the phenomenon before humans reach the Moon again as some of the explanations for TLP could be dangerous.
Kayal and his team hope to have their telescope system completely up and running by the end of the year.
The Moon – our closest neighbour explained
Here's what you need to know...
- The Moon is a natural satellite – a space-faring body that orbits a planet
- It's Earth's only natural satellite, and is the fifth biggest in the Solar System
- The Moon measures 2,158 miles across, roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth
- Temperatures on the Moon range from minus 173 degrees Celcius to 260 degrees Celcius
- Experts assumed the Moon was another planet, until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about our Solar System in 1543
- It was eventually assigned to a "class" after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610
- The Moon is believed to have formed around 4.51billion years ago
- The strength of its gravitational field is about a sixth of Earth's gravity
- Earth and the Moon have "synchronous rotation", which means we always see the same side of the Moon – hence the phrase "dark side of the Moon"
- The Moon's surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to its reflective ground
- During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun almost completely. Both objects appear a similar size in the sky because the Sun is both 400 times larger and farther
- The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was in 1959, as part of the Soviet Union's Lunar program
- The first manned orbital mission was Nasa's Apollo 8 in 1968
- And the first manned lunar landing was in 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission
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Have you ever noticed the Moon flashing? Let us know in the comments...
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