Is the Moon inhabited?
A priori, the answer is no.
But a photo taken by an exploration vehicle reignites the debate this week.
At least on social networks, which have fun between crazy theories and scientific probabilities.
At the end of November, during a mission, the Chinese rover Yutu-2 indeed photographed a mysterious cubic object which sits on the horizon, on the surface of the Moon.
Enough to fuel a number of speculations since the publication of the cliché.
Ah.
We have an update from Yutu-2 on the lunar far side, including an image of a cubic shape on the northern horizon ~ 80m away from the rover in Von Kármán crater.
Referred to as "神秘 小屋" ("mystery house"), the next 2-3 lunar days will be spent getting closer to check it out.
pic.twitter.com/LWPZoWN05I
- Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) December 3, 2021
The shape appears on the far side of the moon, the one that is permanently on the opposite side of the Earth and that China has been exploring in detail since 2019 with its Chang'e 4 lunar mission. Specialized journalist Andrew Jones, who has shared the snapshot on his Twitter account on Friday, December 3, even dubbed the object the
“mysterious house”
.
"Lunar hut", proof of "alien civilization" ...
"It is a beacon installed by an alien civilization to monitor the Earth", deduced an Internet user.
"This lunar cube is haunted", the next one outbid.
Even celebrities are getting involved.
American actress Kat Dennings, star of Marvel superheroes, comments: "I NEED some info on this moon hut."
I NEED updates on this moon hut.
What is it, tell me immediately the goss https://t.co/zJfxrkv1ZR
- Kat Dennings (@OfficialKat) December 7, 2021
In reality, there is very little mystery behind this photo.
Scientists agree that it is just a large stone.
Especially since this mysterious house is located in the crater of Von Kármán, an area frequently bombarded by meteorites.
The object is undoubtedly only a particularly massive debris.
The “mysterious house” would therefore be more a case of pareidolia: the phenomenon which leads to recognize a familiar shape in a landscape, as in the clouds.
And this is not the first time that the planets have made Internet users fantasize.
"Remember the Faces of Mars from the Cydonia Mensae relief or the pebble that looked like a crushed donut," Tariq Malik, the editor of Space.com, recalls on Twitter.
"I would love for it to be an obelisk like in
2001, A Space Odyssey,
Stanley Kubrick's movie, but I expect the Yutu-2 rover to find a pile of pebbles." , he puts into perspective.
Confirmation in two or three lunar days
Located 80 m from its current position, the rover will try to get closer to the object, according to Chinese authorities.
The lunar journey should still take him two to three lunar days, or 45 terrestrial days.
Read also Why China wants to bring back pieces of the Moon
If the delay is long, it is because the Chinese machine only works with solar energy.
The far side of the moon is exposed to the sun every two weeks only.
Not to mention the time wasted making your way through rocks and craters.
In the end, the answer to this great mystery will not arrive before 2022. Until then, speculation will continue to be rife.