Chandrayaan-2 captures Moon’s reaction to Sun’s coronal mass ejection

Chandrayaan-2 captures Moon’s reaction to Sun’s coronal mass ejection (Image: ISRO)

India’s Chandrayaan-2 recorded the Moon’s first-ever CME effects. CHACE-2 instrument observed solar activity impacting the lunar exosphere directly. Dayside exosphere pressure and neutral atom density rose sharply.

CMEs knocked surface atoms into the thin, surface-bound exosphere. This discovery improves understanding of lunar space weather and exploration challenges.

How Did the Moon React?

The observation of this nature of landmark was published in Geophysical Research Letters. This study describes about how Moon reacts and what scientists examine. The total pressure of the dayside lunar exosphere sharply increased. Neutral atom density rose by more than an order of magnitude. These observations confirmed predictions from earlier theoretical scientific models accurately.

What is the Lunar Exosphere?

The Moon has a very thin atmosphere called a surface-bound exosphere. Gas atoms and molecules rarely interact despite coexisting on the surface. It is created by solar radiation, solar wind, and meteorite impacts.

How Do CMEs Affect the Moon?

Coronal Mass Ejections release mostly hydrogen and helium ions explosively from Sun. The Moon has no global magnetic field to shield these particles. Solar particles knock surface atoms off, enhancing the exosphere temporarily and strongly.

What is the Importance of this Discovery?

It offers important understanding of space weather and dynamics in the moon. Research in extreme events of the solar can assist in setting up scientific facilities and the safety of astronauts. The Lunar habitats should take into account short-term environmental variations due to CMEs.

Broader Implications 

Celestial bodies that are airless such as Mercury and asteroids can react to the CMEs in the same way. Models of release and exosphere variations of atoms are highly refined by repeated observations. CHACE-2 validates the position of India in the domain of exploring atoms of the moon.

It demonstrates that even the thin exosphere of the Moon is dynamically sensitive. Lunar conditions may be influenced by solar storms, which can increase the changes in the exploration and subsequent missions.