Beyond satellites: Moon provides full-disk view of Earth’s radiation
A new study shows that observing Earth from the Moon provides a clearer picture of the planet’s global radiation signature, filtering out local weather “noise” to reveal core climate patterns, Xinhua reports.
Earth’s radiation budget – the balance between incoming solar energy and outgoing radiation – is vital for climate studies. Traditional satellites face limits” low-orbit satellites capture fragmented views, while geostationary ones only monitor a single hemisphere.
Published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, the study confirms that a moon-based platform overcomes these challenges by offering a permanent, full-disk view of Earth.
“From the Moon, Earth appears as a complete disk, allowing us to extract dominant radiation signals while suppressing local interference,” said Ye Hanlin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Researchers found that 90% of radiation changes can be explained by simple planet-wide patterns, forming Earth’s unique “radiation fingerprint”. They also identified cycles linked to lunar phases, orbital motion, and Earth’s rotation.
According to co-author Guo Huadong, this perspective provides critical support for measuring Earth’s energy output and strengthens efforts to monitor global climate change.
Earlier, it was reported that the Moon has been stealing Earth’s atmosphere for billions of years.