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Ejecta halo

Published: 2nd Nov, 2023

Context:

Recently, when the Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the Moon’s surface, it resulted in a lunar phenomenon called ‘ejecta halo.’

About

  • Scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) have now published a paper highlighting the significance of ‘ejecta halo’, which has helped the space agency understand more about the lunar surface.

What is ejecta halo?

  • Ejecta halo is an irregular, bright patch surrounding the lander.
  • Significance:
  • This discovery sheds light on the behaviour of lunar materials during such events.
  • It opens up new avenues for research and understanding lunar geology.

Vikram Lander’s information:

  • The Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 mission landed near the south pole of the moon.
  • During the action of descent stage thrusters and the consequent landing, a significant amount of lunar surficial epi regolith material got ejected, resulting in a reflectance anomaly or ejecta halo”,
  • Scientists from Indian Space Research Organisation estimate that about 2.06 tonnes of lunar epi regolith were ejected and displaced over an area of 4 m² around the landing site.

What is Regolith?

  • It is a blanket of unconsolidated, loose, heterogeneous superficial deposits covering solid rock.
  • Epiregolith is lunar rocks and soil, or regolith, or Moon dust.
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