Jun 3 2019
Flashes and other mysterious light phenomena occur several times a week on the moon. At times, it is merely brief flashes of light appearing on the moon’s surface.
Professor Hakan Kayal next to the moon telescope. (Image credit: Tobias Greiner / Universität Würzburg)
On the Earth’s satellite, other light phenomena can last for a longer time and sometimes there are also regions that darken momentarily.
From a science perspective, it is not exactly known how these phenomena happen on the moon. However, it has made attempts to decode them: for instance, the impact of a meteor should result in short flashes of light. These flashes may also take place when a reaction occurs between moon dust and the electrically charged particles of the solar wind.
Seismic activities were also observed on the moon. When the surface moves, gases that reflect sunlight could escape from the interior of the moon. This would explain the luminous phenomena, some of which last for hours.
Hakan Kayal, Professor of Space Technology, Department of Computer Science, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Moon telescope set up in Spain
For Kayal, these appearances hold immense interest. “The so-called transient lunar phenomena have been known since the 1950s, but they have not been sufficiently systematically and long-term observed.” This is now changing, and the JMU professor intends to make his contribution.
In this context, Kayal’s group constructed a lunar telescope as an initial step and then placed it into operation in April 2019. The telescope is housed in a private observatory in Spain, about 100 km north of Seville in a rural region. But why Spain? “There are simply better weather conditions for observing the moon than in Germany.”
The lunar telescope can be controlled remotely from the JMU campus. It includes a pair of cameras that monitor the moon every night. The telescope triggers additional actions only when a luminous phenomenon is registered by both cameras simultaneously. It subsequently stores the event’s videos and photo sequences and conveys an e-mail message to Kayal’s group.
Filing the intelligent software
The system has not been completed yet. This is because the software, which consistently and automatically identifies various light phenomena, including flashes, is being refined further. Kayal intends to apply artificial intelligence techniques, amongst other things—neuronal networks make sure that the system slowly learns to differentiate a moon flash from objects, like airplanes and birds flying in front of the camera, or technical faults. But this will probably require another year of work.
For Kayal, minimizing the rate of false alarm to a maximum extent is only the first milestone in this project. He is currently developing the system in Spain that will be subsequently utilized on a satellite mission. Both the cameras can then work in orbit around the moon or the earth. Kayal believes that this will lead to considerably better results: “We will then be rid of the disturbances caused by the atmosphere.”
What exactly happens after a luminous phenomenon has been documented by the telescope? Kayal’s group would later compare the outcome with the European Space Agency (ESA), which also monitors the moon. “If the same thing was seen there, the event can be considered confirmed.” Additional joint research could then be started, it required.
A new race to the moon
Today, there is a massive interest in the lunar luminous phenomena. This is also attributed to the latest “race to the moon” that is ongoing—China has initiated an in-depth lunar program, and at the start of January 2019, deployed a probe on the moon’s far side. A similar mission is being planned by India. In response to these initiatives, the U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of a return of the USA to the moon in May, and declared that he wanted to guide NASA back “to its old size.”
A striving for technological “supremacy” in space and prestige reasons are said to be behind all these activities. However, China and other major players like Space X are also contemplating the moon as a habitat for humans in the long run. Moreover, the moon contains raw materials—for instance, rare metals that are required for various devices, including smartphones.
Anyone who wants to build a lunar base at some point must of course be familiar with the local conditions.
Hakan Kayal, Professor of Space Technology, Department of Computer Science, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
What if these plans turned out to be concrete in the near future? By then it would be clear what exactly these enigmatic flashes and luminous phenomena are all about.
Study programs at JMU
Students at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg are also involved in the analysis of lunar phenomena. For instance, they can write master’s or bachelor’s dissertations on the subject. The University of Würzburg is teaching a Bachelor’s program in “Aviation and Space Computer Science” in German. The Master’s program “Satellite Technology” is taught in English and fits in well with this. One can also opt to specialize in Aviation and Space Technology in the Master’s program in Computer Science.