There are new observations supporting the theory that the "tattoos" or the light and dark swirl patterns on the moon's surface may have been caused by magnetic fields shielding parts of the moon from solar wind, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said. The observations were discussed in two papers.
In one, researchers mapped out the distribution of the moon's tattoos and extent using ultraviolet images using the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) camera. They found two main geographic groupings and a group of smaller features including tattoos near the moon's craters, as per Science Direct.
They found that the tattoos they mapped were associated with magnetic anomalies. Also, the tattoos had magnetic field strengths shifted to higher values than their background.
Tattooed moon: #NASA gains new insight on mysterious 'lunar swirls' (PHOTO) https://t.co/gnK6tTDIXE pic.twitter.com/ow9FYxtPbG
— RT (@RT_com) May 1, 2016
Theories About The Moon's Tattoos
NASA said that it has been previously observed that there are moon tattoos where old bits of magnetic field are embedded in the moon's crust. Another observation is that the bright areas of the moon's tattoos seem to be less weathered than the surrounding areas.
This has led to theories involving comet impacts and magnetic fields shielding the moon's surface as the causes of the moon's tattoos. It is said that the magnetic field may be shielding the moon's surface from weathering brought about by the solar wind.
Moon's Tattoos And Solar Wind
In the other paper, the researchers observed the moon's tattoos were observed for the first time using at far ultraviolet wavelengths using the LRO camera or the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP).The tattoos appeared to be different in color compared to the surrounding areas which pointed to a difference in weathering and/or composition, according to Science Direct.
The researchers found that "[s]wirls could represent very immature terrains, consistent with a solar wind standoff model." The characteristics of the swirls or the moon's tattoos were said to be "in accordance with the lower amounts of weathering expected in a solar wind standoff scenario."
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