Apr 20, 2023 23:20:00

The claim that the far side of the moon will become a new frontier in astronomy

Dozens of space agencies and private companies are planning missions to the moon, such as

NASA's Artemis Project, which aims to land the first woman on the moon . Each mission has its own purpose, but Ian Crawford, Professor of Planetary Sciences and Astrobiology at Birkbeck, University of London, argues that science will certainly benefit greatly from these activities.

Building telescopes on the Moon could transform astronomy – and it's becoming an achievable goal
https://theconversation.com/building-telescopes-on-the-moon-could-transform-astronomy-and-its-becoming-an-achievable-goal-203308

The moon is a teaching material that teaches us about the origin and evolution of the solar system, and at the same time has scientific value as a platform for observational astronomy.

The moon always keeps the same side facing the earth. It can be said that the far side of the moon is blocked from radio waves emitted by humans on Earth, making it an ideal location for radio astronomy.

Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic energy similar to infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light. Radio waves with a wavelength of 15 m or longer are blocked by the earth's ionosphere, but they reach the surface of the moon without problems. For astronomy, this wavelength band is the last unexplored area, and it is suitable to study from the backside of the moon.

The study of observing the universe at this wavelength is called 'low-frequency radio astronomy', and it seems that it can explore the structure of the 'dark age' before the galaxy was born. During the Dark Ages, most of the matter in the universe, except for the mysterious 'dark matter,' was in the form of neutral hydrogen atoms, which had the property of emitting or absorbing radiation with a wavelength of 21 cm (

21 cm rays ). rice field. Using this property, radio astronomers have studied hydrogen clouds in the Milky Way galaxy. As the universe expands, the signals emitted by hydrogen in the early universe are now at wavelengths in excess of 10 meters, and the far side of the moon may be the only place where they can be studied.

Also, radio waves from the magnetosphere of extrasolar planets have wavelengths over 100m, so observations require a quiet environment for radio waves, and the far side of the moon is also the best place for this.

NASA is aiming to land on the back side of the moon in 2026 with the ``LuSEE-Night'' mission, which sends a robot radio telescope to the back side of the moon for observation, and if the mission succeeds, the possibility of observation will become clear. increase.

In addition, since there are craters on the moon's polar regions that are not exposed to sunlight, it may be possible to easily operate telescopes that observe the universe using infrared rays, which are vulnerable to heat. Cold, stable craters may also favor detection of gravitational waves. Also, because of the moon's low gravity, it may be possible to build telescopes that are much larger than the satellites that carry them. From these points, astronomer Jean-Pierre Maillard said, 'The future of infrared astronomy is the moon.'

Furthermore, the Moon has been exposed to solar winds and galactic cosmic rays for billions of years, and studying the lunar surface record may tell us about the evolution of the Sun and the Milky Way.

Crawford argues that astronomy will benefit from this decade's 'lunar exploration renaissance.'

However, human activity on the far side of the moon may cause unnecessary radio interference, and plans to collect ice water from craters may conflict with astronomical purposes. For this reason, Mr. Crawford says, we need to ensure that the site of unique value for astronomy is protected for the new era of lunar exploration.