Last year, the China Yutu-2 rover spotted a mysterious hut which was about 80 meters away from it. Since it was published, netizens speculated that it could be an alien base.
Of course, it is not.
China Yutu-2 Rover Spots a 'Mystery Hut'
Upon posting the said Moon image, several people were curious to know if it is a "Moon Palace," "Arc de Triomphe" and "Alien bases."
Surprisingly, the "mystery house" discovered from the far surface of the Moon by China's Yutu-2 Rover turns out to be a rock. This is not entirely surprising, but it is a fun way to wrap off the lunar mystery that captivated so many people last December.
A writer for SpaceNews and Space.com who covers the Chinese space program, Andrew Jones, informed his followes of the latest update with a tweet last week.
With regards to its position, the cube-shaped "mystery house," which turns out to be a little lumpy rock, is perched on the lip of a crater. In the rover's initial shot, it just appeared to be much larger and more mysterious. The rover was able to recognize the object's real nature after getting closer and gaining some perspective, per Cnet.
Oh, this is amazing. Close to tears. Ourspace has published an update on the "mystery hut" and it's so underwhelming it's brilliant. It's just a small rock on a crater rim that they're now calling "jade rabbit" for its appearance. Source: https://t.co/frrMKH7RWM https://t.co/GFCIRzqmDu pic.twitter.com/jpDLDS8TZu
— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) January 7, 2022
In addition to this, because of its hunched form, the rock has gained the nickname "Jade Rabbit" since it resembles a bunny bending down with a pair of carrots in front of it. Behind the rock's "rump" are several small circular fragments that resemble a rabbit's excrement.
China Yutu-2 Rover
According to India Today, the Chang'e-4 mission carried the China Yutu-2 rover to the far side of the Moon's surface in 2019 to travel inside the Moon's South Pole-Aitken region.
Chang'e-4 is China's fourth moon mission and the second to deliver a rover to the lunar surface, per Space.com. Chang'e-1 and -2 were orbiters, while Chang'e-3 landed on the moon's near side with the first Yutu rover. The Chang'e-5 T1 test mission around the moon and the Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission have both been launched by China.
On the other hand, Business Insider added that in three years since China Yutu-2 was launched, it has driven over 1,000 meters or 0.6 miles.
During its mission, the rover used ground-penetrating radar to reveal the surface of lunar soil, and recognized rocks from the lunar mantle beneath the crust that was pushed to the surface billions of years ago when an asteroid collided with the moon.
Moreover, the rover is investigating an area that has never been exposed to the Sun's light, and scientists believe it may contain knowledge about the early solar system and Earth.
The rover is equipped with two-color cameras, as well as a Lunar Penetrating Radar that can see beneath up to 100 meters and is used to analyze the regolith.
According to the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), the China Yutu-2 rover is currently dormant again, and when it awakens, it will go further closer to the rabbit and begin investigating the massive impact crater behind it.
