Extreme Temperature Contrasts Discovered on the Moon by Chandrayaan-3
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has discovered a significant temperature variation in the lunar soil near the Lunar South Pole. Using the Vikram Lunar lander's ChaSTE probe, it was found that the surface temperature is 50 degrees Centigrade, while just 10 cm below the surface, the temperature drops to minus 10 degrees Centigrade. This study was conducted during the Lunar day, and NASA's equipment has previously measured even colder temperatures at the Moon's poles. Chandrayaan-3, India's lunar mission, is set to land near the Lunar South Pole and operate for two weeks starting from August 23rd.