The seemingly bizarre structure was spotted by the rover Yutu-2. Photo / CNSA
The seemingly bizarre structure was spotted by the rover Yutu-2. Photo / CNSA
A mysterious cuboid-like object just discovered on the far side of the Moon is leading scientists to collectively scratch their heads.
The seemingly bizarre structure was spotted by the rover Yutu-2, launched by China, which is slowly making its way across the up to now unexplored Von Karman crater located in the satellite's southern hemisphere.
An image taken by Yutu-2 and examined by the mission team last week appears to show a distinctive almost square object on the horizon.
Scientists have dubbed the space object the "mystery hut".
A mystery object on the Moon is puzzling scientists. Photo / China National Space Administration
The finding was first written about on Our Space, a science outreach media outlet affiliated with Beijing's space programme, reported Hong Kong newspaper the South China Morning Post.
The blog's authors said Yutu-2's Earth-based drivers were examining the images sent back by the rover when "suddenly, an obtrusive cube on the northern skyline caught their attention".
"This object pierced through the winding of the skyline, like a 'mysterious hut'."
Measurements have suggested the object is around 80 metres away from the rover.
The Yutu-2 will now head towards the object to investigate it further.
However, it's not going to be a fast trip. The rover's progress is deliberately slow and steady to avoid falling into craters or colliding with rocks.
It also can't operate during lunar nights which last around 14 Earth days.
Chang'e-4's rover, Yutu-2, moves across the lunar surface after leaving the main landing craft. Photo / CNSA
That means it could take two to three months to reach the cabin on the Moon.
"Was it a home built by aliens after the crash landing? Or is it the pioneer spacecraft of the predecessors to explore the moon?" the Our Space blog speculated.
But scientists believe it's most likely to be a large boulder thrown from the Moon's surface by a meteorite impact.
Yutu-2, which means "jade rabbit" arrived on the Moon in January 2019 aboard the lander spacecraft Chang'e-4.
It made touchdown on the 180km wide Von Karman crater, near the Moon's south pole, and the rover has spent the past two years exploring its local surroundings.
The Yutu-2 Moon rover will now spend several months getting closer to the object. Photo / China National Space Administration
Yutu-2 is powered by solar panels and has operated for a longer period of time than any other lunar rover.
Its mission is to explore a portion of the far side of the Moon. This is the hemisphere of the Moon that always faces away from Earth and so can only be examined from Space.
