NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been busy capturing breathtaking lunar images. Amid its regular orbits, it spotted something rather unusual - a silhouette reminiscent of a surfer's board. Picture this: an object that evokes the thrill of riding ocean waves parked in the lunar vicinity.
It initially sparked UFO and extraterrestrial craft speculations. Scientists at NASA, taken aback, had never observed such an elongated entity skirting around the Moon. A probing analysis of LRO's snapshots on March 5th and 6th followed.
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A closer investigation revealed the object to be South Korea's lunar orbiter, Danuri. What appeared to be a strange, unidentified entity was, in fact, a result of both spacecraft - NASA's LRO and Korea's Danuri - orbiting in tandem but at different trajectories.
The Danuri: South Korea's Maiden Lunar Arrival
Scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland shared insights - LRO's camera operates with a brief exposure time of just 0.338 milliseconds, which initially hampered image clarity. Yet, it managed to secure multiple images of Danuri. This spacecraft, noteworthy as South Korea's first, made its Moon orbit debut in December 2022.
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The Intriguing Speed Disparity
The speed difference between LRO and Danuri is substantial, with approximately 11,500 km/hr setting them apart. Thus, when LRO captured the image, diminutive Danuri inflated in the viewfinder, resembling a colossal alien spaceship - seemingly ten times its actual size. It was the rapid velocity that sculpted its surfboard-esque image.
Voices from American Experts
Though Danuri resembles nothing like a surfboard in reality. It's structured more like a box with solar panels flanking its sides. Paul Byrnes, Associate Professor of Planetary Science at Washington University, indicated that Danuri is much like any regular orbiter, but the higher velocity caused it to be immortalized in LRO's camera as a surfboard-shaped object.
