The COVID-19 Pandemic rocked the world in 2020, which is still considered as a terrible year for the entire global community. Many did not even imagine that they would experience how a virus could bring the whole world to a standstill, in their lifetime. While 7,010,681 people have perished since 2020 because of the coronavirus, those who have survived still remember the days of quarantine. People had to stay in isolation for more than three months in 2020. The latest study has revealed that the period of quarantine in the Earth also affected the Moon, with Indian researchers claiming that staying home during the COVID-19 lockdown cooled down the lunar temperature by nearly 8-10 degrees Kelvin (-250 degrees Celsius)!

After analysing lunar surface temperatures with the help of data received from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) of India discovered a surprising connection between the global COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and the temperature on the Moon! Reports suggest that researchers found an anomalous dip in lunar temperature during the strictest lockdown period on Planet Earth.

Researchers argued that Greenhouse Gas Emissions decreased a lot when all sorts of human activities stopped on the Earth and people locked themselves inside their residences. Hence, there was also a decrease in radiation of Greenhouse Gas from the Earth. As the radiation had a direct effect on the Moon, the lunar temperature fell sharply! In a paper, K Durga Prasad and G Ambily, researchers at the Ahmedabad-based PRL, mentioned: “A decrease in the maximum temperature is observed at all sites during the global lockdown period of April-May 2020. We observed a night-time temperature change of nearly 8-10 Kelvin.” They added: “Observations of the Moon, such as night-time temperatures, could possibly support ongoing efforts to study Climate Change, along with informing the Earth’s radiation budget.“

Prasad and Ambily explained that the reduced human activity actually translated into lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions and pollutant levels, with less heat being released from the Earth’s surface during night-time. According to the two researchers, a part of this heat normally reaches the Earth-facing side of the Moon at (its) night-time and warms the lunar surface. Hence, they analysed night-time surface temperatures recorded at six sites on the Earth-facing side of the Moon, including the Oceanus Procellarum, Mare Serenitatis, Mare Imbrium, Mare Tranquillitatis, and Mare Crisium, from 2017-23 in order to look for lockdown-induced effects.

Prasad told the Times of India daily: “We actually analysed data for 12 years. But used seven years data (2017 to 2023) in our study for uniformity – three years before the lockdown year, 2020 and the three years thereafter.” He stressed: “The Moon acts as an amplifier of the Earth’s radiation signature. This unique global event provided us with a rare opportunity to observe how changes in human activity on the Earth can affect our nearest celestial neighbour.“

Scientists further noticed that the lunar temperature increased again after the world returned to its old rhythm and people started doing their normal activities! This change helped researchers to realise that the pandemic on the Earth significantly lowered the Moon’s temperature.

Meanwhile, PRL Director Anil Bharadwaj said: “This is an important work by our group here. It’s quite unique.” According to Bharadwaj, the latest research has highlighted the potential for unexpected and far-reaching consequences of human activities on the Earth even on distant bodies, like the Moon.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das