The Yutu-2 rover from China has been investigating the far side of the moon as part of China’s Chang’e-4 lunar lander mission since early 2019. The rover has recently spotted a mysterious object on the horizon while traversing the Von Kármán crater on the moon’s far side.
Yutu-2 spotted a cube-shaped object on the horizon to the north and roughly 260 feet (80 meters) away in November during the mission’s 36th lunar day.
In a series of tweets on Friday, Andrew Jones, a reporter who covers China’s space program, highlighted the latest rover update. The cube-shaped object’s nickname translates to “mystery house.”
The rover team intends to drive over and examine the object more closely. In 2019, Yutu-2 discovered an intriguing “gel-like” substance inside a crater. People speculated it was an alien; however, it was later found as a glassy-looking rock.
Given Yutu-2’s blurry and distant picture of the cube, the object’s true nature may become clearer as the rover gets closer to it. But, the most logical explanation is a boulder for the time being. Impact craters exist in this moon region, some of which contain enormous amounts of debris.
The Chang’e-4 mission is the first to explore the moon’s far side on the surface. Thanks to the rover’s efforts, scientists have learned more about the geology underlying the lunar surface.
According to reports, Yutu-2 has now traveled over 2,756 feet (840 metres) across the moon. Its next trip should reveal more about the “mystery house.”