The ‘mysterious hut’ or ‘house’ found on the far side of the moon by China’s Yutu-2 probe turned out to be – drums please – a rock. It’s not exactly a surprise, but it’s an interesting conclusion to the lunar mystery that fascinated many in December.
Andrew Jones, a reporter covering China’s space program for SpaceNews and Space.com, once again reminded me of the latest rover team update, describing the saga’s conclusion in a Friday tweet as “impressive. , but it’s brilliant”.
It turned out that the cube-shaped “hut” was a small lump of rock on the rim of the crater. In the first photo of the rover, it just happens to look bigger and more mysterious. After getting close and gaining some perspective, the rover was able to reveal the true nature of the object.
But that’s not all. It just got cuter. The rock’s curled-up shape has now earned it the nickname “Jade Rabbit” because it looks a bit like a squatting rabbit with a few carrots in front of it. There are some delicate round pieces behind the “rump” of the rock that look like bunny poop, which just adds to the fun.
The Yutu-2 rover’s name translates to Jade Rabbit, so it’s as if the rover has found its own mascot on the moon.
Yutu-2 is part of China’s National Space Administration’s Chang’e-4 mission, which landed in 2019 for an ambitious exploration of the (not always dark) far side of the moon. Yutu-2 runs on solar power, so it periodically goes dormant until the sun comes out. That’s why it takes some time to get close to the “Mystery Cabin” for a better look.
This isn’t the first time an unusual-looking object has been spotted in space. The “spoons” and “faces” on Mars also sparked curiosity.
The end result of this adventure might seem disappointing, especially if you’re hoping for something really wild, like an alien outpost or an ancient monolith, but I’m actually pretty happy about it. I had a lot of fun with guesswork around the original image. I’m 99.9% sure it’s a boulder, the only real mystery is its size and shape. It turns out to be as sweet as a rabbit.
Complete News Source : cnet
