India's Chandrayaan-3 has detected over 50 unexplained seismic signals in the Moon's south polar region, raising the possibility of Moonquakes and revealing seismic mysteries never recorded before.
"Key Highlights:
1. Chandrayaan-3 recorded over 250 seismic signals; 50 are unexplained and may indicate Moonquakes.
2. First-ever seismic data from the Moon's south pole since Apollo missions.
3. Further research is required to understand the origin of these signals."
"India's Chandrayaan-3 mission has detected over 250 seismic signals in the Moon's south polar region, including at least 50 that aren’t linked to the rover’s movement or other instruments. These findings suggest the possible presence of ""Moonquakes."" This is the first time seismic data has been collected from this region of the Moon and the first since the Apollo missions.
The Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA), located on the Vikram lander, gathered this data between August 24 and September 4, 2023. ILSA is the first instrument to measure ground vibrations in the Moon’s south polar region, using advanced silicon micromachining technology. The data was analyzed by scientists from ISRO and published in the journal ICARUS.
According to Sriram, the director of ISRO’s Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS), about 200 of the recorded signals were linked to the Pragyan rover’s movements or the operation of other instruments. However, around 50 signals remain unexplained and require further study. Some of the strongest signals recorded lasted up to 14 minutes and were linked to the rover’s movement across the Moon’s surface.
Researchers also found that the strength of the signals weakened as the rover moved farther from the ILSA instrument. For example, when the rover was 7 meters away, the signal strength dropped by half at 12 meters and decreased even more at 40 meters.
While ILSA was not designed to detect Moonquakes, about 50 unexpected seismic events were identified. These signals, which were not connected to any known activities, had frequencies reaching up to 50 Hz and lasted just a few seconds.
The discoveries from Chandrayaan-3 offer valuable insights into the Moon’s seismic activity, especially in its south polar region. Further research is needed to understand the cause of these unexplained events."
