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This is an archive article published on October 29, 2023

Chandrayaan 3: Vikram lander generated ‘ejecta halo’ on lunar surface. What does it mean?

The phenomenon of 'ejecta halo' has helped scientists understand more about the surface of the Moon

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Vikram LanderVikram Lander on the lunar surface (Image credit: ISRO)
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Chandrayaan 3: Vikram lander generated ‘ejecta halo’ on lunar surface. What does it mean?
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When Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the Moon’s surface on August 23, it resulted in a lunar phenomenon called ‘ejecta halo.’ 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.

According to a post by the ISRO on X, scientists have “estimated that about 2.06 tonnes of lunar epi regolith were ejected and displaced over an area of 108.4 m² around the landing site”. Epi regolith is nothing but the top layer of the lunar surface, which is made out of lunar rocks and soil, commonly known as moon dust.

The paper named ‘Characterisation of Ejecta Halo on the Lunar Surface Around Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander Using OHRC Imagery’, published by Swati Singh, Prakash Chauhan, Priyom Roy, Tapas R Martha and Iswar C Das in Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing indicates that ‘ejecta halo’ was created due to descent stage thrusters and the consequent landing of Vikram lander.

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Also read | Chandrayaan-3: All you need to know about the mission and what happens after its successful Moon landing

Scientists have compared the “pre- and post-landing high-resolution panchromatic imagery from Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC) of the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter,” from before and after landing to understand ‘ejecta halo’, which looks like an “irregular bright patch surrounding the lander”.

The success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission made India the fourth country to land on the Moon. As a part of this mission, Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover conducted many scientific explorations, which included the detection of minor elements and more. Vikram Lander achieved a milestone with its ‘hop experiment’ and finally went to sleep on September 2.

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