New study reveals surprisingly high electron densities in the Lunar environment, hinting at the potential role of lunar crustal magnetic fields in shaping plasma dynamics.
In a major finding, scientists from Space Physics Laboratory, VSSC, analysing radio signals from India’s Chandrayaan-2 (CH-2) orbiter – which is in good health and providing data — have revealed that the Moon’s ionosphere exhibits unexpectedly high electron densities when it enters the Earth’s geomagnetic tail. This finding sheds new light on how plasma behaves in the lunar environment and suggests a stronger influence of the Moon’s remnant magnetic fields than previously thought.
The scientists have used an innovative method to study the plasma distribution around moon. In this method they conducted experiments using the S-band Telemetry and Telecommand (TTC) radio signals in a two-way radio occultation experiment, tracking CH-2’s radio transmissions through the Moon’s plasma layer. These signals were received at the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN), Byallalu, Bangalore. The results revealed a surprisingly high electron density of approximately 23,000 electrons per cubic centimetre in the lunar environment, comparable to densities observed in the Moon’s wake region (previously discovered by the same team) and nearly 100 times higher than those on the sunlit side of the Moon.
