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China's Yutu 2 rover spots cube-shaped 'mystery hut' on far side of the moon
By Andrew Jones 1 day ago
It's likely a large boulder excavated by an ancient lunar impact.
An image from China's Yutu 2 showing a cube-shaped object on the horizon on the far side of the moon. (Image credit: CNSA/Our Space)
China’s Yutu 2 rover has spotted a mystery object on the horizon while working its way across Von Kármán crater on the far side of the moon.
Yutu 2 spotted a cube-shaped object on the horizon to the north and roughly 260 feet (80 meters) away in November during the mission's 36th lunar day, according to a Yutu 2 diary published by Our Space, a Chinese language science outreach channel affiliated with the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
Our Space referred to the object as a "mystery hut" (神秘小屋/shenmi xiaowu), but this a placeholder name rather than an accurate description.
This zoomed-in image shows a closer look at a cube shape spotted by China's Yutu 2 rover on the far side of the moon. (Image credit: CNSA/Our Space)
Team scientists have expressed a strong interest in the object and Yutu 2 is now expected to spend the next 2-3 lunar days (2-3 Earth months) traversing lunar regolith and avoiding craters to get a closer look, so updates can be expected.
A likely explanation for the shape would be a large boulder which has been excavated by an impact event.
By Andrew Jones 1 day ago
It's likely a large boulder excavated by an ancient lunar impact.
An image from China's Yutu 2 showing a cube-shaped object on the horizon on the far side of the moon. (Image credit: CNSA/Our Space)
China’s Yutu 2 rover has spotted a mystery object on the horizon while working its way across Von Kármán crater on the far side of the moon.
Yutu 2 spotted a cube-shaped object on the horizon to the north and roughly 260 feet (80 meters) away in November during the mission's 36th lunar day, according to a Yutu 2 diary published by Our Space, a Chinese language science outreach channel affiliated with the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
Our Space referred to the object as a "mystery hut" (神秘小屋/shenmi xiaowu), but this a placeholder name rather than an accurate description.
This zoomed-in image shows a closer look at a cube shape spotted by China's Yutu 2 rover on the far side of the moon. (Image credit: CNSA/Our Space)
Team scientists have expressed a strong interest in the object and Yutu 2 is now expected to spend the next 2-3 lunar days (2-3 Earth months) traversing lunar regolith and avoiding craters to get a closer look, so updates can be expected.
A likely explanation for the shape would be a large boulder which has been excavated by an impact event.