On July 20, 1969, just moments after Apollo 11 astronauts took the first readings on the moon, NASA registered the first seismic movements of the satellite. Although movements were slight, scientists started questioning whether the readings were caused by the fall of the Luna 15—an unmanned Soviet satellite that had recently been orbiting our moon, only to fall in the planetoid’s aptly named “Sea of Crisis.” But beyond the nature of this impact, what most captivates investigation teams is the continued activity found on our neighboring lunar world.
Recently, many investigators have spent thousands of hours interpreting seismograph readings taken during the Apollo lunar missions (11 and 16). In this series of missions, astronauts used instruments that transmitted a great quantity of information to the Earth until their disconnection in 1977.
According to investigator Yosio Nakamura—a geophysicist at the University of Texas currently studying this phenomena—there exists a small-magnitude moon quake originating about 620 miles from the lunar surface.
Catherine L. Johnson, a geophysicist of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, notes that the depth of this unusual seismic activity is far greater than any seen on Earth. In addition, these small lunar quakes take place several times per day, with the great majority occurring on the visible side of the moon— just another example in a growing list of curious asymmetries that our satellite is found to possess.
Clive R. Neal, professor of civil engineering and geological science at the University of Notre Dame, also investigated data from the Apollo program. Between 1972 and 1977 he verified 28 strong seismic waves (5.5 on the Richter scale) of a shallow depth that left the moon quivering for more than 10 minutes. Compare that to earthquakes on our planet where such vibrations generally do not last more than half a minute. Plus, he found that the moon makes noise.
“The moon was ringing like a bell,” observed Neal in a 2006 NASA report. This phenomenon, along with many other investigations, indicates that our moon may be a hollow planetoid—not a mass of solid rock.
Improbable Theories
Some of the moon’s mysteries might be unveiled if science could confirm its origin. If we could somehow peer into the moon’s history, this now unexplainable lunar behavior might start to make sense. Of the three or four most popular theories of the past century, the most supported one is explained by a slow collision. This theory describes a satellite forming from the fragments expelled by a smaller planet colliding with Earth.
To test the dynamic behavior of this collision, laboratories use supercomputers capable of recreating graphics with millions of possible variables. According to the calculations, the moon could only have been formed if a body of a specific size impacted Earth at a very specific angle, liberating the spatial materials capable of pulling together instead of falling back to Earth. This would require, among other variables, that the impacting object was not pulverized and that it hit Earth at a velocity of just over 9 miles a second.
Although scientists have engineered a way to recreate this complicated scenario, there still exists a great variety of lunar characteristics that defy explanation.
Glowing Lunar Lights
While some imagine the small lights seen on the moon to be extraterrestrial evidence, most are found to be a cloud of magnetically charged dust particles that appear on the lunar surface as glowing spots. These lights, known as lunar transitory phenomena (LTP), have been observed for centuries. This magnetic storm—a phenomenon of great interest in the days of the Apollo program—was revisited at the end of 2005.
Using the Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites Experiment (LEAM)—a device Apollo 17 astronauts installed on the moon in 1972 to observe the dust left by small meteoroids hitting the lunar surface—researchers examined data over 30 years old to see the reasons behind LTP.
"To everyone's surprise, LEAM saw a large number of particles every morning, mostly coming from the east or west—rather than above or below—and mostly slower than speeds expected for lunar ejecta," said Gary Olhoeft, professor of geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, in a NASA report.
Researchers found that a few hours after every lunar sunrise, the experiment's temperature shot up to nearly 200 F, and LEAM had to be shut off to avoid overheating. Scientists remain puzzled by what could create such a strange daily occurrence.
A Manufactured Moon
In the 1960s, Mijail Vasin and Alexander Sherbavok of the Soviet Academy of Sciences interpreted this curious data and devised a theory that could shed light on this lunar enigma.
They suggested that our satellite did not follow the laws of other natural cosmic bodies because it was not formed by natural processes. Instead, the Soviet team claimed the moon was a manufactured orb. While some may scoff at this idea, numerous reports and data from NASA have prompted many to seriously consider the proposition of an artificial moon. As Part I of this article demonstrated, the moon possesses rare characteristics and strange phenomena that can’t be found in other celestial bodies. For example, there are shallow craters suggesting that the moon is made of an extremely strong material; the moon’s density is so low that it could float in water; it’s a very large satellite for such a comparatively small planet; it also has a nearly perfect circular orbit, and a gravitational inconsistency throughout its surface.
Sceptics of course consider the idea that ancient man could have developed the technology to construct such a luminous colossus as simply ridiculous. But if we stop and look over the achievements and projects of modern humans, maybe this idea would not seem so crazy. The famous astronomer Carl Sagan once said that with a simple footprint on the moon and Mars, man has already started to change the face of other worlds. Our impact today is of course more than a footprint, as the moon is even being considered as a possible energy source. This project attempts to scatter immense solar panels on our satellite, and transmit that energy to Earth through microwaves.
Even if such a society had the technology that was needed, what reason would they have to create a moon? Some say life on Earth would be too chaotic without this satellite. Without our “gravitational anchor,” our unstable planet would be a world of 6-hour days, unbearable winters, and infernal summers. As astronomers note that the moon is moving farther away from Earth at a few inches a year, some scientists have even started to sketch ideas for maintaining our planetary stability. Alexander Eivian of the University of Iowa has suggested kidnapping Jupiter’s moon, Europa, and putting it in our orbit—this satellite is proposed to be sufficiently large enough to do the job.
Contemplating the manipulation of bodies in our solar system is a clear example of the influence that man may be able to exercise in space a few years hence. Therefore, it calls for one to reconsider the possibility that a civilization like our own—born some thousands of years ago—could have possessed the capacity to initiate, in the height of the firmament, a “great cosmic lamp.”
