Chang’e 4 finds moon’s far side a frigid affair

China’s Chang’e 4 probe, having successfully accomplished the first-ever landing on the moon’s far side, found that overnight temperatures on the lunar surface not visible from Earth can fall to as low as -190 C.

This is the first time Chinese scientists have received firsthand data about nightly temperatures on the far side’s surface.

The rover and lander of the Chang’e 4 probe were “awakened” by sunlight after a long “sleep” after their first extremely cold night on the moon, the China National Space Administration announced on Thursday.

As a result of the tidal locking effect, the moon’s revolution cycle is the same as its rotation cycle, and the same side of the moon always faces Earth.

“According to measurements from Chang’e 4, the temperature of the shallow layer of the lunar soil on the moon’s far side is lower than data obtained by the United States Apollo mission on the near side of the moon,” said Zhang He, executive director of the Chang’e 4 probe project.

“That’s probably due to the difference in lunar soil composition between the two sides of the moon. We still need more careful analysis,” Zhang said.

A lunar day is equivalent to 14 Earth days, and a lunar night is the same duration. The Chang’e-4 probe switches to dormant mode during lunar nights due to a lack of solar power.

Temperatures vary enormously between day and night on the moon. Previously, Chinese scientists had no data on exactly how cold it could be.

The rover and the lander are equipped with a heat source, which helps keep the probe’s sensitive equipment viable during lunar nights.

The lander is also equipped with an isotope thermoelectric cell and dozens of data collectors to measure surface temperatures at night.