Submitted via IRC for Bytram
New telescope to investigate mysterious light flashes on the moon
For centuries people have noticed odd flashes and other inexplicable lights on the surface of the moon. Possible explanations range from meteors to moonquakes to UFOs, but they have yet to be proven. A new telescope in Spain hopes to provide more data and perhaps an answer to the mystery.
So-called "lunar transient phenomena" can refer to flashes of light on the moon that are either fleeting or longer-lasting. Some areas of the lunar surface have also been seen to darken randomly.
[...] The new lunar telescope north of Seville, Spain, includes two cameras that watch the moon every night for the odd flashes. A team led by Hakan Kayal, professor of space technology at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, will then analyze photo and video sequences of the event.
When the telescope and the team observe the lunar phenomenon, they'll compare their results to data from the European Space Agency, which also keeps a constant eye on the moon.
"If the same thing was seen there, the event can be considered confirmed," Kayal explained in a release Friday.
[...] While the telescope is already in operation, more work remains to tweak the artificial intelligence and other software that'll help the system discern actual lunar transient phenomena from more mundane events like birds or airplanes flying in front of the cameras.
Kayal hopes to have the whole system dialed in and working on solving the mystery in about a year.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2019, @04:52PM (1 child)
holds a match to his ass when he farts.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2019, @11:23PM
On the moon? Would that work? ... probably not.
Farts do contain some oxygen, but only like 4% https://www.oddee.com/item_98612.aspx/ [oddee.com] which is not enough to burn - most fires require around 16% https://smokeybear.com/en/about-wildland-fire/fire-science/elements-of-fire [smokeybear.com]
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday June 04 2019, @05:08PM (2 children)
Dark spots and flashes:
Probably dark mabber and some physicist getting another bright idea.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2019, @05:21PM
mabber...
a guy who grabs your boobs and tries to get in your pants on the first date.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2019, @09:41PM
Actually, dark matter could be made of flashes of light.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2019, @05:12PM (1 child)
Says "Coke, it's the real thing".
Cost them nice chunka change.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday June 04 2019, @09:21PM
acoC-aloC
eviv bulgroz !
Ref : if you didn't grow up with spirou [static.rtbf.be]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2019, @05:31PM
Dark spots are the trash ejector, bright spots are rebels getting away.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday June 04 2019, @06:05PM (1 child)
The mysterious flashing lights on the moon are really reflected light from StarLink satellites pissing overhead.
In the future maybe satellites can have active flashing lights, as aircraft do.
And they will obey the WS2812 protocol
The server will be down for replacement of vacuum tubes, belts, worn parts and lubrication of gears and bearings.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2019, @09:12PM
That is no Moon.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2019, @09:07PM (3 children)
And no one has mentioned Aristarchus? The crater, not the philosopher. Something strange is going on there.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 04 2019, @10:59PM (1 child)
They are one and the same.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 05 2019, @12:26AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzFoU4BJBAg [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 05 2019, @04:17PM
We can't because the craters subs keep getting rejected.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 05 2019, @02:54AM
One of the benefits of being old is you see a lot of shit make the rounds time and time again.
There was a theory that the flashes (and some craters) were made by electrical discharges. The science was pretty convincing back in the 1980s. I don't know what happened after that.
The dark patches are levitated regolith dust, like a fog, from static electricity.
Just because there's no air doesn't mean there can't be lightning or static electricity.