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Solar Wind Leaves 'Sunburn' Scars on Lunar Surface, NASA Missions Reveals

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Some regions of the lunar surface exhibit a distinctive pattern of darker and lighter swirls. Using NASA's ARTEMIS mission — which stands for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun — astronomers have revealed new clues about the origin of these swirls. 

Related: This NASA Video Tour of the Moon in 4K Is Simply Breathtaking

Unlike Earth, the moon doesn't have a global magnetic field. Rather, magnetized rocks near the lunar surface create small, localized magnetic fields that extend only a short distance, according to the statement. 

"The magnetic fields in some regions [of the moon] are locally acting as this magnetic sunscreen," Andrew Poppe, a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, said in the statement. 

The Reiner Gamma lunar swirl photographed by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is an example of the moon's "sunburn." (Image credit: NASA LRO WAC science team)

These small "bubbles" of protection deflect some of the damaging solar-wind particles. As a result, light-colored swirls form in the shielded areas. However, the bordering areas become noticeably darker. 

"You know, sometimes you put on sunscreen and you miss a tiny little bit and then you have a really bright red spot on you your skin where you missed it," Poppe said in a NASA videoexplaining the discovery. "That's, in some ways, the analogy for the region of the moon that is extra exposed."

The team hopes the findings will help protect astronauts from the harmful effects of radiation during future missions to the moon. Although the moon's crustal magnetic fields may not be strong enough alone to protect astronauts, it may be possible to create a stronger magnetic field artificially, Poppe said in the video. 

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Samantha Mathewson
Space.com Contributor