A new study related to COVID-19, which has caused chaos worldwide, has surprised scientists. According to the research conducted, the impact of the global pandemic was not only seen on Earth.
Researchers revealed that changes in the amount of radiation reaching the Moon led to changes on the lunar surface along with the decrease in human activities. While the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant chaos worldwide, a new study revealed that the effects of this process were felt even in space. Researchers discovered that nighttime surface temperatures of the Moon significantly decreased during the strict quarantine period in April-May 2020.
A team from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India, examined nighttime surface temperatures at six different points on the Moon. The temperature data was collected by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched in 2009.
Analyzing the temperature data recorded between 2017 and 2023, researchers identified a remarkable abnormality during the quarantine period in April and May 2020. A temperature drop of 8-10 Kelvin (approximately 14-18 Fahrenheit) was observed in all six regions corresponding to the quarantine period.
The researchers suggested that this cooling could be explained by a sudden decrease in radiation emitted from Earth as a result of the suspension of human activities during the COVID-19 quarantine. The quarantine process interrupted many activities that produce greenhouse gases such as commuting to work, industrialization, and mining, which significantly reduced terrestrial radiation levels.
Studies show that global daily CO2 emissions dropped by about 17 percent at the beginning of April 2020 compared to average levels in 2019. The research team indicated that the drop in surface temperatures of the Moon was related to some of Earth’s heat warming the Moon. The global decrease in emissions during quarantine led to a reduction in cloud cover and atmospheric pollutants in many countries, thus reducing the amount of heat emitted by Earth.
The changes in lunar surface temperatures present a new way of examining the effects of climate change on Earth. The team emphasized the need for more research to establish definitive connections between the two phenomena. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates that examining the surface temperatures of the Moon could significantly contribute to climate change research. As the first wave of COVID-19 swept the world in March 2020, strict quarantine protocols were implemented to slow down the spread of the virus. This situation not only reduced greenhouse gas emissions on Earth but also indirectly affected lunar surface temperatures.