How Form 8655 Magnetic 2024

To every astronaut or spacecraft, the sun is a damaging source of radiation. All objects traveling through space must contend with this hazard, including planets. Even the moon has the scars to prove it. New NASA research suggests that some of the coloration we see on the moon could actually be a form of sunburn. The leading hypothesis is that the magnetic fields are blocking some portion of the solar wind from reaching the surface. The solar wind is the sun's continuous outflow of particles and radiation that fills the inner solar system. The moon's magnetic field provides a strong global shield against it. However, the magnetic field on the moon is much weaker, and it forms only small localized bubbles of protection. In these spots, the sun's particles can be reflected back into the solar wind or funneled into nearby regions. The shielded areas under the magnetic field form pale swirls, while those bordering parts become darker. The contrast is so prominent that we can actually see it from Earth. The magnetic fields in some regions are locally acting as a magnetic sunscreen. You know, sometimes you put on sunscreen and you miss a tiny little bit, and then you have a really bright red spot on your skin where you missed it. That's in some ways the analogy of this sort of region of the moon that is extra exposed. Unfortunately, the moon's patchy magnetic fields are not robust enough to completely protect human explorers from the sun's radiation. But further study of lunar magnetic fields could lay the groundwork for future innovations. Well, what if we got a strong enough magnetic field that we could produce artificially? That's a question that I think remains to be answered. But the crustal magnetic fields on the moon and lunar...