Transient lunar phenomena (TLP) are sudden flashes of light, colorations, blackouts, and mists observed on the Moon’s surface. Reports date back over 1,000 years, and at least 300 have been recorded by modern astronomers. TLPs are difficult to confirm, but scientists have proposed four possible explanations: impact events, outgassing, electrostatic phenomena, and unfavorable observing conditions or atmospheric effects. Outgassing and impact events are the most likely causes.
Transient lunar phenomena (TLP), also known as transient lunar phenomena, refer to sudden flashes of light; blackouts; green, blue, or purple colorations; reddish, pink or orange colorations; and billowing mists observed on the surface of the Moon. Reports of transient lunar phenomena date back over 1,000 years, but have only been taken seriously since the early 1960s, when astronomers themselves began observing the phenomena and recording them. At least 300 of these events have been recorded by modern astronomers, with at least 2,200 reported in the historical literature. Over a third of all reliable incidents came from the Aristarchus Plateau region of the Moon, on the northwest part of the near side.
References to transient lunar phenomena are scattered in the astronomical literature of the last 1,000 years. For example, on 18 June 1178, five Canterbury monks reported “a flaming torch” in the northern region of the Moon shortly after sunset, “vomiting, at a considerable distance, fire, glowing coals and sparks”. On April 19, 1787, British astronomer Sir William Herschel, discoverer of Uranus, noticed three bright red dots on the dark side of the Moon, which he attributed to volcanism. Interestingly, around the same time the aurora borealis was rippling over Padua, Italy – which practically never happens – less than a thousand miles away, and the sunspot cycle was at its strongest.
Transient lunar phenomena are difficult to confirm and verify because they are, by nature, transient, none recorded on film or video, and usually only one witness. Scientists have come up with four possible explanations for transient lunar phenomena: impact events, outgassing, electrostatic phenomena, and unfavorable observing conditions or atmospheric effects. Due to the fact that transient lunar phenomena are so rare and distant, it is difficult to test these theories empirically.
Outgassing is something that occurs on virtually every rock body to some extent. Volatile gases, produced by radioactive decay or tidal heating, become trapped in cavities beneath the lunar surface. They are then released slowly or in discrete bursts. This correlates well with one of the main sites where TLPs are observed: around fractured craters in the floor, which would provide opportunities for sublunar gas to escape.
Impact events occur continuously on the Moon, mostly through micrometeorites. Slightly larger meteor impacts could appear as flashes on Earth. Meteors of all sizes frequently hit the Moon.
Another possible source of TLP is electrostatic discharge, caused by the accumulation of charges due to friction, solar wind or other mechanisms. If the charge is large enough and over a large enough area, the eventual discharge could be large enough to be observed from Earth. However, this has not been confirmed.
The final cause of TLPs would be the most mundane – observational relics caused by the Earth’s atmosphere. Atmospheric distortion can cause the Moon to appear fuzzy, especially in a high-resolution telescope.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
