Scientists in US have found evidence which indicates that something actually happens every month when the moon gets a lashing from Earth's magnetic tail, NASA said.

"Earth's magnetic tail extends well beyond the orbit of the moon and, once a month, the moon orbits through it. This can have consequences ranging from lunar dust storms to electrostatic discharges.

During the crossing, the moon comes in contact with a gigantic plasma sheet of hot charged particles in the tail.

The lightest of the particles, electrons, pepper the moon's surface and give the moon a negative charge.

On the nightside, electrons accumulate and surface voltages can climb to thousands of volts.