A surprising new report suggests the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns were felt as far away as the Moon. The study, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, reported surface cooling on the Moon during the Spring 2020 stay-at-home orders.
"Lunar night-time surface temperatures of six different sites on the Moon's nearside were analyzed during the period 2017-2023," the authors wrote. "Results showed an anomalous dip in the lunar night-time surface temperatures for all the sites during April-May 2020."
Essentially, the substantial changes in human behavior on our planet during worldwide stay-at-home orders left a considerable mark, according to the study. This effect was observed only during nighttime and was attributed to solar radiation emitted from Earth, which can have a significant impact on lunar surface temperatures.
The researchers noted that solar radiation does not impact the Moon during its nighttime phase, only during its day. Unrelated research has also found that the Moon may contain reddish or blue hues, challenging the perception of it being just a gray dot in the sky.
As NASA and other space agencies plan a return to the lunar surface, there are increasing calls to implement a time zone for the Moon to maintain accuracy in operations.