Cool Moon Facts by Whip

Real astronomy, with sources. Folklore & tradition.

Fact #042 Strange but true

There are pale swirls painted across the lunar surface that nobody has fully explained.

Reiner Gamma is the famous one, a bright, looping shape with no relief at all; it isn't a crater or a hill. Swirls sit on top of magnetised crust, and the leading idea is that those magnetic patches shield the soil from the solar wind that darkens everything around them. It's a good theory with loose ends.

Source: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (opens in a new tab) · checked Aug 2026

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