What are the mysterious sparkly flashes on the Moon?
- Published
Scientists have spotted pink sparkly flashes on the Moon
Scientists are trying to discover why they can see strange flashes on the Moon.
Researchers noticed that parts of the Moon have been lighting up multiple times a week.
Called 'transient lunar phenomena', its been described as light flashes which can be pink or red in colour, with a sparkly or flowing appearance, that can last for hours.
Scientists have noticed the flashes as far back as the 1950s.
Nasa are hoping to send people back to the Moon by 2022
There have been lots of explanations as to what causes the flashes, from things like meteors hitting the surface, to solar wind hitting Moon dust, and even the Moon emitting gasses which reflect sunlight.
Now a research team from the Julius-Maximilians-Universit盲t W眉rzburg (JMU) in Germany has built a telescope to monitor the flashes, in the hope of learning more about them.
The results will be shared with the European Space Agency to help better understand the conditions on the Moon's surface.
Nasa has said it wants to get astronauts living on the Moon by around 2022.
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