
'Sunburn' scars have been discovered on the surface of the moon created by particles travelling across space from the sun.

These white regions indicate areas of natural 'sunscreen' that protect the Earth's natural satellite against damaging radiation from the sun.

Dark marks are created when the solar wind reacts with the lunar surface, while white patterns can be seen in areas protected from these damaging particles by the moon's magnetic field.

Nasa scientists hope studying these areas could help astronauts from the sun's powerful rays on future explorations of the moon.

Areas with natural protection could one day be used as landing zones for missions to the moon - or even areas where permanent colonies may be established.

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'Sunburn' scars have been discovered on the surface of the moon created by particles travelling across space from the sun. The dark marks are created when the solar wind reacts with the lunar surface, while white swirls can be seen in areas protect from these damaging particles by the moon's magnetic field

Unlike the Earth which is entirely surrounded by a magnetic field that protects all the living species, the moon has localised 'spots' of magnetic field.

John Keller of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland that spotted the patterns, said:

'These patterns, called 'lunar swirls,' appear almost painted on the surface of the moon.

'They are unique; we've only seen these features on the moon, and their origin has remained a mystery since their discovery.'

As part of the project, Nasa's scientists created computer models of how the moon's magnetic shield interacts with the sun's solar winds to create these swirling patterns.

Nasa said: 'The new models reveal that the magnetic field can create a strong electric field when the solar wind attempts to flow through.

'It is this brawny electric potential of many hundreds of Volts that could deflect and slow particles in the solar wind.'

These white regions are indicate areas of natural 'sunscreen' that protect the Earth's natural satellite against damaging radiation from the sun. Nasa scientists hope studying these areas could help astronauts from the sun's powerful rays on future explorations of the moon

The sun releases a continuous flow of charged particles that produces a solar wind which washes over our solar system, creating a space called the 'heliosphere' that extends past Pluto.

Planets, moons and other bodies that have magnetic fields reflect these winds and protect themselves by doing so.

The flow of liquid metal in the Earth's outer core as well as its rotation causes electric currents that create a strong magnetic field all over the planet.

It is the interaction of the solar wind with this magnetic field that creates the aurora borealis, better known as the Northern Lights.

The moon, however, doesn't have either of these. Its fields are instead created by magnetised rocks near the lunar surface that create small magnetic 'spots' which can span from hundreds of meters to hundreds of miles.

Areas with natural protection could one day be used as landing zones for missions to the moon - or even areas where permanent colonies may be established (file photo)

Dr Andrew Poppe, a scientist at the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley who researches the Moon's crustal magnetic fields using data from NASA's ARTEMIS mission, said: 'The magnetic fields in some regions [of the moon] are locally acting as this sunscreen.

Referring to the so called 'sunspots' on the moon, Dr Poppe added: 'You know, sometimes you put on sunscreen and you miss this little bit and then you have a really bright red spot on your skin.

'That's in some ways an analogy of [the regions of the moon without magnetic protection] that are extra-exposed.

'The leading hypothesis is that the magnetic fields are blocking some portion of the solar wind from reaching the surface.'

Scientists at Nasa made the proposals after looking at the reflection paths of the sun's charged particles over the last five years.

Understanding more about the moon's natural protection mechanisms could help decide where astronauts land in Nasa's next moon mission, even though the fields themselves won't provide enough protection to humans.

The scientists however say that studying the structure of these zones could help advance techniques that protect explorers from the sun's harsh atmosphere.