The 'Mystery Hut' on the Far Side
A rover on the Moon's far side spotted a cube-shaped object on the horizon, and drove for weeks to find out what it was.
What was reported
In December 2021, China's Yutu-2 rover, exploring Von Kármán crater on the far side of the Moon, photographed a strange object on the horizon about 80 metres away: a small, square shape that looked like a hut or a box sitting on the ground.
The rover team called it a 'mystery hut' in a post that went around the world, and Yutu-2 spent several weeks making its slow way over to look.
Explanations offered
Close-up photos taken in January 2022 showed it was an ordinary rock, its shape exaggerated by distance and low resolution. The team said that, seen up close, it looked rather like a rabbit, and nicknamed it the 'jade rabbit', the name of the rover itself.
- When
- December 2021
- Where
- Von Kármán crater, far side of the Moon
- Witnesses
- China's Yutu-2 rover
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.