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“Mysterious Hut” on the Far Side of the Moon Turns Out to Be Bunny-Shaped Rock

How’s this for anti-climatic? There is no “mysterious hut” on the far side of the Moon, even though, when it was first spotted, it looked as if it had “appeared out of thin air.” What there is, instead, is a rock.
Bunny-shaped rock formation on the dark side of the Moon, previously described as a "mysterious hut" 9 photos
Photo: Ourspace / CNSA
Bunny-shaped rock formation on the dark side of the Moon, previously described as a "mysterious hut"Bunny-shaped rock formation on the dark side of the Moon, previously described as a "mysterious hut"China plans Moon baseChina plans Moon baseChina plans Moon baseChina plans Moon baseChina plans Moon baseChina plans Moon base
Late last year, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) reported that Chang’e-4’s rover Yutu 2 had spotted a strange formation on the far side of the Moon, i.e. the half of the Moon that is not visible from the Earth. That alone wouldn’t have been enough to cause an online frenzy; it was the words “mysterious hut” that did it.

An “obtrusive cube [that] pierced through the winding of the skyline, like a mysterious hut that appeared out of thin air” was the official description of the object. Given long-standing theories and myths of what can be found on the hidden face of the Moon, it’s no wonder that people began wildly speculating on what this “hut” could house, including alien life or secret space bases of earth-bound malicious governments.

Put your tinfoil hat away because the speculation ends here. The “hut” is nothing but a rock, a bunny-shaped one, at it, Space reports. After an extended detour, the Yutu 2 has been able to get closer to the formation and take a photo of it, which has been released to the public by the CNSA-affiliated Ourspace, Space.com reports. The detour took two lunar days, meaning two-week intervals separated by a two-week night here on Earth, and it allowed the rover to “see” a small bunny-shaped rock perched on the rim of a crater.

The rock formation has been named “jade rabbit,” and the Yutu 2 rover’s next mission is to get closer to it to analyze it and observe the nearby crater. The mission will start on the next lunar day.

The rover has already covered 328 feet (100 meters) in that direction, and a total of 3,294 feet (1,003.9 meters) on the dark side of the Moon since the Chang’e-4 lander made a soft landing here on January 3, 2019.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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