Buzz
While most stargazers are captivated by planets and celestial events, the fascinating realm of moons often goes unnoticed. These satellites are far from being mere lifeless rocks—they can be dangerous and even produce sounds. Some are not entirely solid.
It's not only their distinctive characteristics and powers that reveal more about the cosmos, but also the intriguing mysteries that have been uncovered. In recent years, several long-standing enigmas surrounding our own Moon have been solved.
10. Moonmoons
An intriguing study posed a question so simple yet surprising that it had never been asked before: Can a moon have its own moon?
While there are no submoons in our solar system, the idea sparked interesting results and gave rise to unique names. Suggested terms for these hypothetical bodies include moonmoons, moonettes, moonitos, and moooons. Regardless of the term scientists ultimately choose, the absence of these submoons could reveal more about moon formation and the Earth’s solar system.
The 2018 study revealed that submoons face significant challenges. Tidal forces and a lack of sufficient orbital space would likely cause the mini moon to be destroyed. However, certain conditions could allow it to survive—such as being very small while orbiting a large parent moon. The parent moon must also be positioned far enough from the host planet and have enough gravitational pull to maintain the baby moon's orbit.
It remains a mystery why some moons in the solar system are suitable for submoons but lack them. If scientists can solve this puzzle, it could provide valuable insights into the formation of celestial bodies in the early stages of the solar system.
9. Earth’s Dust Moons
Over 50 years ago, a major scientific debate ignited. Theorists proposed that gravitational points between Earth and the Moon exist where objects could remain in stable orbits. The most plausible objects predicted were “dust moons.” Officially named the Kordylewski dust cloud, scientists have debated its existence for decades.
In 2018, the first evidence emerged that something might be orbiting Earth like moons. The initial breakthrough came from computer simulations, which helped researchers understand the cloud's formation and the way it scattered light. This light-reflecting property offered the first real opportunity to detect the elusive dust.
A digital camera, modified with special filters, was installed at an observatory in Hungary. The resulting images provided the most convincing evidence yet that Earth might have satellites beyond the Moon. Even more exciting for scientists, the photographs captured not one, but two Kordylewski cloud 'moons.'
8. The Walnut Mystery
One of Saturn's moons resembles a walnut. A line of peaks runs along Iapetus's equator, forming a unique ridge that makes this moon stand out. This feature is the only one of its kind in the entire solar system and remains a complete mystery.
Recent simulations have suggested that Iapetus once had its own ring, much like Saturn's famous rings. This theory helps explain the formation of the moon's ridges. The massive ring eventually collapsed, showering the surface with material in multiple waves, not just a single event.
The simulations showed that when the first objects struck the moon, they arrived at a slow speed and shallow angle, causing them to slide through Iapetus's icy crust and leave deep grooves. Subsequent debris followed the same path, accumulating and forming peaks as high as 20 kilometers (12.4 miles).
While the mountain range might not be the largest in the solar system, it's the most expansive when measured relative to the size of the moon it adorns. The ridge is the largest range in our solar system in proportion to its celestial body.
7. Astronauts Warmed The Moon
In the 1970s, the first astronauts bounced across the lunar surface, marking a historic achievement. Then, something unexpected occurred. After the Apollo crews departed, the Moon's temperature surged by nearly 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 °F).
For decades, NASA scientists were puzzled by this phenomenon. A dedicated team spent eight years locating 400 missing NASA tapes, analyzing archived mission logs, and reviewing temperature data. They also examined photographs of the astronauts' paths.
In 2018, the results were revealed, showing that the first 12 astronauts had disturbed enough lunar dust to expose patches of the raw surface. This layer had been shielding the Moon for billions of years. Within just six years, the exposed areas absorbed enough solar radiation to raise the entire Moon’s surface temperature.
The temperature probes originally placed by the astronauts also confirmed that the heat originated from the surface, not from the Moon’s interior. This was an unknown fact until the missing tapes were found and thoroughly analyzed.
6. Europa’s Deadly Spikes
Jupiter’s moon, Europa, captivates scientists with the possibility of a saltwater ocean, potentially harboring life. A lander mission is planned for the 2020s, but there's a chance it could be impaled before it even touches the surface.
In 2018, researchers concluded that the region is home to a dangerous feature—enormous ice spikes, reaching heights of about 15 meters (50 feet). No image exists of these massive formations, but strong evidence supports the researchers' theories.
Europa’s surface is reminiscent of Earth's high-altitude regions, where ice blades, known as penitentes, can form. On Earth, these spikes can grow up to 4 meters (13 feet) tall. They form when solar heat causes ice sheets to evaporate into gas, rather than melt.
Such conditions exist on Europa, though they are extreme enough to produce much larger versions of these spikes. This discovery could provide an answer to a longstanding mystery. Past radar scans of the moon's surface bounced off, but they didn't reflect the way expected.
No explanation could explain this phenomenon until the discovery of Europa's penitentes. When radar wavelengths are smaller than the gaps between the ice towers, they are likely to reflect off an even number of times.
5. Moon Reflects Galaxy Waves
Something extraordinary is happening with Earth’s Moon, offering the possibility of peering into the universe’s distant past. In 2018, astronomers discovered an unusual phenomenon—radio waves from our galaxy, the Milky Way, reflecting off the lunar surface, alongside the expected sunlight.
This finding could be pivotal in testing long-held theories about the evolution of the universe, a task complicated by the challenges of detecting radio waves. To unlock the secrets of the universe’s early stages, scientists seek the faint signal emitted by hydrogen from the time between the Big Bang and the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), when the first stars began to form.
However, this faint hydrogen “sound” is masked by stronger radio signals in the sky. This is where the Moon offers a unique advantage. The satellite naturally blocks certain radio waves. By placing a radio telescope on the far side of the Moon, researchers could filter out much of Earth’s interference and focus on detecting the EoR signal.
The discovery of the Moon’s reflective properties represents a significant step forward in the quest to uncover the primordial signature of the early universe.
4. The First Exomoon
Moons are so common in our solar system that many assume they must also exist throughout the cosmos. However, a surprising fact is that, while astronomers have discovered numerous exoplanets, they have yet to find a single exomoon.
In 2017, the first exomoon candidate was identified, orbiting a planet 8,000 light-years away. This groundbreaking discovery was named Kepler-1625b-i, in honor of the exoplanet Kepler-1625-b it orbits.
There are two key pieces of evidence suggesting the presence of a moon. First, something’s gravitational pull is affecting the planet. Second, the planet’s sun periodically dims more than expected as the moon passes in front of it.
Other hypotheses propose that the dimming could be caused by noise from the star itself, but the sun in question is unusually quiet. Another theory suggests a second planet might be involved, but the data doesn’t support this. It appears to be a massive planet-moon system with properties that were previously unanticipated.
The planet is a massive gas giant similar to Jupiter in size. Calculations suggest that its satellite would also be a colossal gas body, potentially as large as Neptune. If Kepler-1625b-i is indeed a moon, it could revolutionize astronomers’ understanding of lunar formation, particularly in regard to the existence of large gaseous moons.
3. Strange Plasma Melodies
Saturn is performing an incredibly unusual act. The gas giant creates melodies for one of its moons. Known as Enceladus, this sixth-largest moon of Saturn is also its most bizarre.
Previous studies revealed that the icy moon utilizes its magnetic field to interact with Saturn’s. This ‘strumming’ originates from a mysterious warm ocean beneath its frozen surface. At times, it releases vapor into space, where it mingles with Saturn’s ionosphere.
In 2017, researchers captured the planet’s response for the first time. When Enceladus ‘sings’ to Saturn, the ringed planet answers back. The ‘song’ manifests as a column of plasma that vibrates as it moves, similar to the air oscillations that allow humans to hear sounds.
This similarity sparked an innovative idea among scientists. For the first time ever, they transformed the plasma vibrations into a sound file. While the waves are inherently silent, the final result was truly captivating.
The high-pitched keening created an eerie melody with a hint of sorrow. Today, it's known as the “auroral hiss,” as the plasma shares the same composition as the material that forms Earth's auroras.
2. Moon Dust: A Hidden Danger
Moon visitors of the future will encounter various risks when exploring Earth's steadfast satellite. Aside from the lack of oxygen and the potential danger of a spacesuit rupture causing bodily harm, one of NASA’s greatest challenges is the peril of Moon dust.
The particles stick to everything, from spacesuits to footwear. When Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt ventured across the Moon in 1972, he unknowingly inhaled some of this dust. His symptoms earned the playful name 'lunar hay fever.'
In 2018, scientists revealed the horrifying truth about inhaling Moon dust. The term 'dust' is misleading, as it’s not the soft, powdery substance we encounter on Earth. Lunar particles are sharp, unyielding, and mostly composed of meteorite fragments.
Authentic lunar soil is challenging to obtain, but NASA has created a synthetic version that mimics the real thing. When human cells were exposed to this dust in the lab, the particles—easily inhaled—ravaged up to 90 percent of lung and brain tissue within 24 hours.
Terrifyingly, the cells that survived endured such severe DNA damage that they faced a high risk of developing cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
1. Mysterious Magnetic Swirls
Our Moon is adorned with features that most people are unaware of. Remarkable swirls of light and dark intertwine, reminiscent of cream swirling in a cappuccino. In 2018, the age-old enigma was finally solved. These swirls appeared in the same regions as another puzzling feature—local magnetic fields.
The first step in solving the mystery was identifying what caused the intense magnetism. Mathematical models were used to study the magnetic fields and revealed that each swirl corresponded to a narrow underground strip. These strips are thought to be remnants of lava tubes.
Around three billion years ago, the Moon erupted, likely forming these tubes during that time. As they cooled, they gained a strong magnetic charge. Long before this discovery, scientists knew that minerals in Moon rocks become highly magnetic under specific conditions—intense heat and a lack of oxygen.
In short, when lunar lava solidified into rock, the magnetic fields generated were powerful enough to divert solar particles in certain areas. This caused varying rates of erosion, leading to the formation of the swirling patterns.
