Mysterious Light Flashes On Moon’s Surface Baffle Astronomers

Flashes of mysterious light on the Moon’s surface, which occurs several times a week, has baffled astronomers. The light illuminates parts of the Moon’s landscape and disappears soon after.

Strange as it may sound, this phenomena is not new. It has been observed since the 1950s, but has not been systematically examined. Not even after man set foot on the lunar surface.

A team of German astronomers, from the Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany, believe this "mysterious light" is crucial to decode because mankind would in the near future colonize the Moon.

A "race to the moon 2.0" is underway with China’s robots, the Chang’e 4 lander and the Yutu 2 rover having explored the lunar surface. NASA is working toward landing astronauts on the lunar South Pole by 2024. China is also designing a mission to target the south pole.

To analyze the light, the team has set up a telescope, which will use artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically detect the flashes.

Hakan Kayal, professor of space technology at JMU, in a statement said seismic activities on the Moon were observed. “When the surface moves, gases that reflect sunlight could escape from the interior of the moon. This would explain the luminous phenomena, some of which lasts for hours.”

He said such flashes also occur when electrically charged particles of the solar wind react with the moon dust. However, the team has no scientific explanation as to how this phenomena occurs on the Moon.

To understand the mysterious light, Kayal’s team has built a lunar telescope, which is located in a private observatory in Spain, about 100 kilometers north of Seville. The professor explained that they chose Spain because the country has better weather conditions for observing the Moon.

“The telescope consists of two cameras that keep an eye on the Moon night after night. When both cameras register a luminous phenomenon at the same time, the telescope triggers further actions,” the statement said. “It then stores photos and video sequences of the event and sends an email message to Kayal’s team.”

The software which automatically and reliably detects flashes and other light phenomena, is being further refined. The statement says that the professor also plans to use AI methods. “The system, which he is developing on Spanish soil, will later be used on a satellite mission.”