Indian researchers have discovered that the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 had an unexpected impact on the Moon, causing its surface temperature to drop by 8-10 Kelvin. This unusual finding, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, was made using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The scientists, K Durga Prasad and G Ambily from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, analyzed temperature readings from various locations on the Moon’s nearside and observed a noticeable dip during the peak lockdown months of April-May 2020.
The researchers attribute this temperature drop to changes in Earth’s outgoing radiation caused by the lockdown-induced reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and aerosols. With less heat being trapped in Earth’s atmosphere, less radiation was emitted, and the Moon, which reflects Earth’s radiation, experienced a cooling effect. The most significant temperature drop was recorded at Oceanus Procellarum, where the lowest reading during the lockdown was 96.2 K, while 2021 and 2022 showed a warming trend as human activity resumed.
To ensure the temperature decrease was due to the lockdown, the study also considered other factors like solar activity and seasonal changes, but none appeared to influence the results. The researchers suggest that future lunar observatories could help monitor Earth’s climate changes from space, offering a new way to study the link between human activity on Earth and its effects on nearby celestial bodies.
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