Over the past few years, countries have been turning the moon into a bustling hub of activity, reminiscent of the excitement of the Apollo missions in the ’70s.
In one spot on the moon, Japan’s “Moon Sniper” mission has defied expectations, surviving three freezing lunar nights since its sideways landing on January 19. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency hadn’t planned for it to last through even one lunar night, which lasts about two weeks in total darkness. But the Moon Sniper keeps going strong, sending back fresh images of its landing site despite the harsh lunar conditions.
Meanwhile, a team of international astronomers has pinpointed a crater formed millions of years ago when something huge collided with the moon’s surface. This impact sent a chunk of the moon’s far side hurtling into space, becoming a rare quasi-satellite, or an asteroid that orbits near Earth. The Tianwen-2 mission plans to explore this space rock later on. But first, China is focused on returning to the moon’s “hidden side.”
The Chang’e-6 mission, which launched recently, aims to collect the first samples from the South Pole-Aitken basin, the moon’s largest and oldest crater. Since the Chang’e 4 mission in 2019, China remains the sole country to have successfully landed on the far side of the moon, sometimes mistakenly called the “dark side.” Experts clarify that the far side does get sunlight; it’s just less explored than the side facing Earth.
The far side, with its thicker crust, differs significantly from the near side explored during the Apollo missions. Scientists are hopeful that retrieving samples from the far side could unlock key lunar mysteries, including the moon’s origins.
In other news, scholars studying the Herculaneum scrolls have uncovered intriguing details about Plato’s final moments and burial place. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, volcanic ash preserved and buried the papyrus scrolls, which experts have been deciphering using advanced technology.
According to Graziano Ranocchia, a papyrology professor at the University of Pisa, Plato’s likely burial site was a secluded garden near the sacred shrine to muses inside the Platonic Academy of Athens. Translated text suggests that Plato wasn’t a fan of the flute music played during his final hours, commenting to a guest about its lack of rhythm.
