The moon keeps flashing, and nobody knows why

The so-called 'transient lunar phenomena' has been stumping scientists for years – but an explanation may be in the works.

At a mere 240,000 miles away, you'd think we'd be in Earth's little sidekick, the moon. Maybe it's our short attention span, but it's almost like: Put men on the moon, check, next stop, March.

Case in point: Transient lunar phenomena.

This article was published in the journal Science, by Barbara Middlehurst and Patrick Moore. Rafi Letzter on space.com, explains Rafi Letzter on space.com. Calling the unexplained strangeness "lunar transient phenomena", the paper described how regions of the lunar surface would get brighter or darker, and nobody could explain why.

A few years later, the astronomer AA Mills wrote in the journal Nature: "The emitted light is usually described as reddish or pinkish, sometimes with a 'sparkling' or 'flowing' appearance. The average duration of an event is 20 minutes, but it can persist persistently for a few hours. "

Now, some 50 years later, astronomers are finally setting up an observatory specifically to explore the mystery flashing.

While some backyard astronomers can come upon the flashes, which now occurs a few times a week, the new observatory should be equipped to get some good data. Located in Spain, there will be two cameras on the moon. When both register a flash, they will automatically record detailed photos and videos and send them off for analysis.

Who knows what they can discover. Various possibilities have been suggested, including meteor strikes, solar wind hitting moon dust, and the reflection of sunlight – but so far, no explanations have stuck. Except maybe that last one.

"Hakan Kayal, Professor of Space Technology at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburgand and head of the telescope project, commented on Hakan Kayal, Ph.D. . "This would explain the luminous phenomena, some of which last for hours."

Curiously, interest in this mystery around everyone's favorite natural satellite has been reignited by a new "race to the moon." With China, India, and all of them, it makes sense that we just want to figure out what exactly is going on there.

"Anyone who wants to build a base has to be familiar with the local conditions," Kayal says. Pinkish, sparking flashes and all.