China's Yutu 2 rover transmits intriguing panoramic images from hidden side of the Moon

China's Yutu 2 rover, which has completed three years on the Moon, has beamed back an intriguing panoramic picture of its location. The rover had landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019 atop the Chang'e 4 lander and has been scanning the lunar surface ever since. The picture holds special significance as it gives a glimpse of that area of the Moon which is not visible from the Earth.

(Image: Ourspace)

The images were released in late February by Ourspace, a Chinese language science outreach channel affiliated with the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The photos give a glimpse of the track Yutu 2 is following and offer insight into the lifeless and airless environment. Interestingly, the rover and the lander are the first-ever equipment to land and operate on the hidden side of the Moon. According to the data from China's Lunar Exploration Ground Application System, the 140-kilogram solar-powered rover has travelled a total of 1,029 meters across the Von Kármán crater ever since its landing. 

(Image: Ourspace)

Yutu 2's adventures on the Moon

The rover has been a subject of interest lately owing to some intriguing discoveries it is making. The most talked-about finding by the rover was a 'mystery hut', an outcrop that it spotted on the Moon. While many speculations were being made about its identity, the outcrop eventually turned out to be just a rock that was named 'jade rabbit' owing to its rabbit-like appearance. 

According to the operators of the Yutu 2 rover, it was the rover's 36th day of operation and it was just 80 metres away from the rock at the time of the discovery Two days later, Yutu 2 started venturing towards the supposed 'mystery hut' and crossed the 1000-metre travel mark in doing so. Most recently, it beamed back images of mysterious translucent glass spheres. The spheres measured around 0.5-inch to one inch and were fairly bigger than the small glass 'spherules' commonly found on the lunar surface. According to the scientists who published their findings in the journal Science Bulletin, the sphere hint towards a chaotic past of the lunar surface which includes volcanic activities and meteorite impacts. 

Image: CNSA