Lunar Transient Phenomena

What is Lunar Transient Phenomena (LTP)? When I first read this question I thought, some thing to do with lunar libration, a totally explainable event. Well was I wrong! It turns out that LTP includes events on the moon which only appear for a short time and then disappear. It turns out that many respectable people have seen these events including the Apollo astronauts, Cassini, Halley, and Messier! In fact “the observations during the early Apollo missions did indeed confirm the reality of LTPs [.](Harris 1)

In a paper for the Department of Energy R. Zito suggest a new mechanism for LTP, he describes his paper on the subject like this: Lunar transient phenomena, which are changes in lunar surface brightness observed over the course of four centuries, are presently characterized by a novel mechanism in which electrodynamics effects associated with rock fracturing could account for the sporadic optical pulses noted near specific lunar features. It is suggested that only mild seismic activity, or perhaps thermal cracking, may be required for the activation of the proposed mechanism. (Zito 1)

Others say this A recent letter in the New Scientist suggested that the "colored vapors" seen on the surface of the moon could be caused by ice meteorites colliding with the surface of the moon and vaporizing giving rise to a rainbow effect (Sanders 1)

Clearly something is happening up there, maybe we should send up someone to check it out!

Sources

Harris, Daniel H., Ph.D INFINITY #11: Rings and Rocks. Dec. 8, 2001 http://www.drtruth.org/Infinity11.html Sanders Ian: Transient Lunar Phenomena, 1996-2000. http://www.omplace.com/omsites/Pignut/tlp.html Zito, R.R. A new mechanism for lunar transient phenomena http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=6904371

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