Space
Lightning Bolts May Be Battering the Moon's Surface
Andy P.
First Posted: Sep 14, 2016 05:40 AM EDT
Lightning bolts may be a common sight here on Earth, but apparently, new research suggests that a small kind of these sparks can happen on the Moon too. And not just sparking out of nowhere, but these charged bolts may have been shaping the lunar surface, along with the usual impacts.
Dr. Andrew Jordan and his colleagues at the University of New Hampshire in Durnham said that lunar soil or regolith could accumulate static charge and other particles from solar storms. When enough of these particles interact, they can generate mini-lightning bolts or electrostatic breakdown that can turn melt or vaporize the soil.
In their research published in the journal Icarus, the team said these particles mostly build up in the unlit and frigid regions of the Moon. They also believe the permanent shadowed parts of the Moon "may be more active" due to meteoroid impacts and penetrating particle radiation, making electrical conductivity of regolith extremely low.
The researching team also said in an online article that once particles in the electric field on the soil build up and snap, they can conduct or spark. However, the "breakdown weathering" process can decrease the albedo of lunar soil, though outer space conditions can nullify the effect on reflectance.
According to the researchers, between 10% to 25% of the uppermost one millimeter regolith in these areas may have been melted or vaporized by sparks over the past one million years. Jordan said it is possible to see the effects of these mini-bolts on regolith, and may be present in the soil samples taken by Apollo astronauts from the Moon.
The scientists thought the process could provide an insight at pre-biotic chemistry in the dark and cold lunar regions. However, the team said more research into the process might be difficult to do for now as the regions are inaccessible. Incidentally, NASA has previously said that breakdown weathering could explain planetary evolution, particularly in regions exposed in harsh conditions such as extremely cold temperatures and radiation.
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First Posted: Sep 14, 2016 05:40 AM EDT
Lightning bolts may be a common sight here on Earth, but apparently, new research suggests that a small kind of these sparks can happen on the Moon too. And not just sparking out of nowhere, but these charged bolts may have been shaping the lunar surface, along with the usual impacts.
Dr. Andrew Jordan and his colleagues at the University of New Hampshire in Durnham said that lunar soil or regolith could accumulate static charge and other particles from solar storms. When enough of these particles interact, they can generate mini-lightning bolts or electrostatic breakdown that can turn melt or vaporize the soil.
In their research published in the journal Icarus, the team said these particles mostly build up in the unlit and frigid regions of the Moon. They also believe the permanent shadowed parts of the Moon "may be more active" due to meteoroid impacts and penetrating particle radiation, making electrical conductivity of regolith extremely low.
The researching team also said in an online article that once particles in the electric field on the soil build up and snap, they can conduct or spark. However, the "breakdown weathering" process can decrease the albedo of lunar soil, though outer space conditions can nullify the effect on reflectance.
According to the researchers, between 10% to 25% of the uppermost one millimeter regolith in these areas may have been melted or vaporized by sparks over the past one million years. Jordan said it is possible to see the effects of these mini-bolts on regolith, and may be present in the soil samples taken by Apollo astronauts from the Moon.
The scientists thought the process could provide an insight at pre-biotic chemistry in the dark and cold lunar regions. However, the team said more research into the process might be difficult to do for now as the regions are inaccessible. Incidentally, NASA has previously said that breakdown weathering could explain planetary evolution, particularly in regions exposed in harsh conditions such as extremely cold temperatures and radiation.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone