--- title: "Moon’s Surface Could Electrocute Astronauts, Scientists Warn" description: "The lunar surface is a pretty hostile place. The lack of an atmosphere and magnetic field means that anybody journeying on the Moon is wide open to the elements, including highly charged particles shooting off from the Sun. And that means astronauts run the risk of being zapped by potentially “hundreds to thousands volts negative” […]" date: "2019-12-19" modified: "2019-12-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/moons-surface-electrocute-astronauts" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "astronauts" - "lunar surface" - "moon" - "the digest" --- # Moon’s Surface Could Electrocute Astronauts, Scientists Warn ![The Moon’s surface could electrocute future astronauts as they plan to visit areas hit by very little charge-negating sunlight.]() *\Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\* ## ZAP! The Moon's lack of an atmosphere and magnetic field means particles from the Sun go straight to the lunar surface. That gives the Moon's surface an electric charge — and it mean future astronauts run the risk of being zapped when they visit the Moon, according to University of Southern California plasma physicist Joseph Wang's research, as [*Gizmodo* reports](). ## Balancing Charges Wang's team found that the electrically charged lunar surface "raises concerns on possible charging/arcing risks for astronauts on lunar surface," according to [the abstract]() of his team's paper, which it presented at this year's meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. It's not unlike the experience of (Moon) walking across a carpet wearing socks and then feeling a zap when you touch a metal doorknob — except without an atmosphere, you wouldn't even need to make contact with the doorknob on the Moon. ## Cautiously Optimistic So why haven't astronauts been zapped just yet? That's because the areas they visited during past missions were bathed in direct sunlight, according to Wang, and the photons from that light helped balance out the surface's otherwise negative charge, making shocks far less likely. Future missions, however, will see astronauts visiting the Moon's south pole, which gets far less sunlight. Jim Rice, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona, told *Gizmodo* he doesn't think electrocution should be an actual concern for those astronauts. But he also didn't rule out issues with larger future operations, such as ones that might involve bulldozing large amounts of charged materials around on the Moon. **READ MORE:** [Why the Next Lunar Astronauts May Have to Worry About Electric Shocks]() \[*Gizmodo*\] **More on the lunar surface:** *[NASA: Four Astronauts Will Stay on the Moon For Two Weeks]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()