Chandrayaan-3 mission: What is ejecta halo that Vikram Lander created on the Moon

Photo Credit: ISRO

 ISRO revealed an awesome event of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Know how the Vikram lander created “ejecta halo”. Know what the term means.

Photo Credit: ISRO

ISRO recently made an announcement that Vikram Lander removed 2.06 tonnes of lunar soil from the moon’s surface while landing on August 23, 2023. 

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ISRO said Vikram's lander ejected a massive amount of surficial epiregolith material which created an unusual reflection which is being termed an “ejecta halo.”

Photo Credit: ISRO

Therefore, at the Vikram lander landing site, a patch was created that removed a significant amount of lunar rocks and soil.

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According to a report shared by ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), the ejecta halo seems "as an irregular bright patch surrounding the lander.”

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This new discovery will help scientists to understand more about the lunar surface and its characteristics. 

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Additionally, scientists can better understand the behaviour of lunar materials during such a crucial event.

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The bright patch is also termed as  “reflectance anomaly” by experts however, it is dubbed as an “ejecta halo”.

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Now, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover are both in sleep mode and ISRO is waiting on revival to discover more about the lunar surface.

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The discovery sheds light on the moon's epiregolith, but scientists are still working to learn more about the south pole of the Moon.

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Now, ISRO is also preparing for its next lunar mission and this discovery can also help planning their next move while developing the lander.