2024-01-15 19:13:23
A team of scientists considered that the Moon has entered a new geological era, called the “Lunar Anthropocene,” which means the era of human exploration and its impact on the Moon’s environment.
Since the landing of the Soviet Union’s unmanned spacecraft, “Luna 2”, on September 13, 1959, creating the first man-made crater at that time, and then the landing of new missions, the moon has entered its new era, according to what CNN reported from research published by scientists in the journal “Nature”.
Scientists refer to the new geological epoch as the “lunar Anthropocene.”
“The idea is very similar to discussing the Anthropocene on Earth, that is, exploring the extent of human impact on our planet,” said the study’s lead author, Justin Holcomb, a researcher at the University of Kansas Geological Survey.
“There is a consensus that the Anthropocene on Earth began at some point in the past, whether hundreds of thousands of years ago or in the 1950s,” Holcomb said. “Similarly, on the Moon, we believe the Lunar Anthropocene has already begun, and we want to prevent significant damage.” .
Since Luna 2’s landing, more than 100 spacecraft have crashed and “humans have caused surface disturbances in at least 58 locations on the moon’s surface,” according to the research.
After being able to reach the moon, humans left equipment, spacecraft parts, flags, photographs, and even golf balls, bags of human waste and religious texts, according to the study.
The lunar Anthropocene began amid growing interest from space agencies and commercial companies in returning to the Moon, or landing on it for the first time.
Scientists warn that the Moon’s environment, already shaped by humans during the beginning of the Lunar Anthropocene, will change radically as exploration increases.
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