Cube on the moon: what has China’s rover Yutu 2 discovered - and how did a cube shaped object get there?

A mystery object has been spotted on the moon.

The object, which looks like a cube from images on the lunar surface, has caused some debate back here on Earth.

The Twitter-sphere is awash with theories on what the object could be, who put it there and why - here's what we know so far...

What is the 'cube on the moon'?

That is the question on everyone's lips at the moment.

At present there is only a grainy image captured from far away to inspect, with many interpretations of what it could be.

One Twitter user questioned: "Some structure from an ancient civilization on the moon?"

Another said it could be a "monolith", the name given to a geological feature made famous in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Others suggested it could be a rock while film references are aplenty with some saying it looks like large droids from the Star Wars franchise.

Who spotted the 'cube on the moon'?

The 'cube on the moon' was first discovered by China's Yutu 2 rover.

As the rover worked its way across a crater, known as the Von Karman, it picked up a mysterious looking shape in the distance.

On closer inspection, it appears to be the shape of a cube which has been referred to as a "mystery hut" in the Our Space log.

Our Space is a Chinese language science outreach channel affiliated with the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

How did the 'cube on the moon' get there?

That is the mystery which is going to take some time to figure out.

The Chinese rover, Yutu 2, which found the 'cube on the moon' plans to inspect further.

But it could take between two and three months due to the distance the 'cube' is from the rover.

A likely explanation for the 'cube' would be a large moon boulder.

What happens next to the 'cube on the moon'?

Yutu 2 is the first rover to land on the far side of the moon, with the Chang'e 4 lander, on January 2019.

It has been investigating the Karman crater since landing and is China's second rover to land on the moon.

Its first, aptly named Yutu 1, landed on the near side of the moon with the Chang'e 3 lander.

The first two Chang'e missions were orbiters, while work is ongoing for a Chang'e 5 moon sample return mission.

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