NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter recently captured a strange object flying above the Moon’s surface.
But before anyone could jump to the conclusion that we were witnessing a UFO sighting, NASA has revealed that there is a perfectly rational explanation for the bizarre phenomenon.
Look at what NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter just caught speeding in orbit around the Moon. https://t.co/LuGThRE8Jb
— The Debrief (@Debriefmedia) April 6, 2024
As it turns out, the object in question was actually a human-made spacecraft called the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, or as it is commonly known, Danuri. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute launched this spacecraft in August 2022 and is South Korea’s first ever Moon mission. It is designed to help plan future missions to the lunar poles and even can create a “lunar internet” for communication with Earth.
The LRO’s image of the spacecraft was captured with impeccable timing, as it is also orbiting the Moon in a similar path to Danuri. However, the image shows Danuri as a tiny sliver rather than a conventional-looking spacecraft with solar panels and an antenna due to the incredibly short exposure time of the LRO’s camera. This caused the spacecraft to appear “smeared” and elongated in the opposite direction of its travel.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been circling the Moon for 15 years, was able to image South Korea’s Danuri lunar orbiter last month. The two spacecraft, traveling in nearly parallel orbits, zipped past each other in opposite directions between 5 and 6 March. pic.twitter.com/k2F5NGp9Nf
— Peter Bond (@PeterBondSpace) April 8, 2024
This is not the first time the LRO has captured images of interesting lunar objects. In the past, it has even spotted the remains of crashed lunar landers. Just last year, the LRO’s camera, ShadowCam, caught a reflection of the Sun’s rays off the LRO itself, showing the spacecraft in a unique role reversal.
Furthermore, the LRO has also made some impressive scientific contributions, like using a laser to bounce off India’s Vikram lander in an effort to improve future landers’ positioning systems.
While it may be tempting to jump to conclusions and imagine wild theories about aliens and mysterious objects on the Moon, there are often perfectly logical explanations for seemingly unexplainable events.
Thanks to NASA’s advanced technology and precise timing, we have been able to unravel the mystery behind the strange object spotted by the LRO.
