Spectral analysis of lunar regions observed by MAJIS during the JUICE Moon-Earth flyby
Abstract
The Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer (MAJIS) instrument onboard the ESA Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission acquired the first hyperspectral data of the lunar surface since Chandrayaan-1/Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M 3 ), Cassini/VIMS, and the more recent Chandrayaan-2/Imaging Infrared Spectrometer (IIRS). In this study, we present a mineralogical and spectral analysis of a portion of the lunar nearside, including Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Fecunditatis, and adjacent highland terrains, as observed by MAJIS. Due to high-phase and high-incidence illumination conditions, our analysis primarily focuses on two specific MAJIS observations. MAJIS spectra reveal prominent absorption features near 1 and 2 µm, indicative of both low- and high-calcium pyroxenes, confirming the dominance of mafic minerals – particularly in mare regions and fresh impact craters along with associated ejecta, such as those from Maskelyne G and Messier/Messier A. These areas are characterised by deeper absorption bands compared to surrounding terrains. Variations in spectral slopes are also observed and are associated with both surface maturity and compositional differences, consistent with the spectral characteristics of the observed regions retrieved by previous instruments. We apply thermal emission correction to investigate potential features above 2.6 µm, to discriminate possible absorption bands in the MAJIS infrared spectral range. Nevertheless, further work is required to fully explore this spectral range. Finally, comparison with datasets from previous missions demonstrates strong consistency in derived spectral parameters, validating the performance of MAJIS for lunar mineralogical studies. These findings highlight MAJIS' capability to characterise both composition and maturity of the lunar surface, while also emphasising its potential for future investigations in the Jovian system.
Related
- Layering of lunar regolith at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site observed from the ChaSTE experiments from the lander
- Post launch spectral and radiometric performances of MAJIS, the VIS-NIR imaging spectrometer of JUICE
- JUICE-MAJIS Earth observations during the 2024 gravity assist: first analysis and comparison with PRISMA data
- Spectroscopic detection of terrestrial lightning from space by JUICE-MAJIS during Earth Gravity Assist
- Juice/SWI during the Lunar-Earth-Gravity-Assist (LEGA) – Part 3: Observations of the Earth as calibration target
BibTeX
@article{zambon2026spectral,
title = {{Spectral analysis of lunar regions observed by MAJIS during the JUICE Moon-Earth flyby}},
author = {Francesca Zambon and Francesca Altieri and Maria Cristina de Sanctis and Stéphane Le Mouélic and Giuseppe Piccioni and François Poulet and Yves Langevin and Clément Royer and Federico Tosi and Ozgur Karatekin and Alessandro Mura and Cristian Carli},
journal = {Annales Geophysicae},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.5194/angeo-44-1167-2026},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05836442v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Spectral analysis of lunar regions observed by MAJIS during the JUICE Moon-Earth flyby
AU - Francesca Zambon
AU - Francesca Altieri
AU - Maria Cristina de Sanctis
AU - Stéphane Le Mouélic
AU - Giuseppe Piccioni
AU - François Poulet
AU - Yves Langevin
AU - Clément Royer
AU - Federico Tosi
AU - Ozgur Karatekin
AU - Alessandro Mura
AU - Cristian Carli
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Annales Geophysicae
DO - 10.5194/angeo-44-1167-2026
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05836442v1
AB - The Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer (MAJIS) instrument onboard the ESA Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission acquired the first hyperspectral data of the lunar surface since Chandrayaan-1/Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M 3 ), Cassini/VIMS, and the more recent Chandrayaan-2/Imaging Infrared Spectrometer (IIRS). In this study, we present a mineralogical and spectral analysis of a portion of the lunar nearside, including Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Fecunditatis, and adjacent highland terrains, as observed by MAJIS. Due to high-phase and high-incidence illumination conditions, our analysis primarily focuses on two specific MAJIS observations. MAJIS spectra reveal prominent absorption features near 1 and 2 µm, indicative of both low- and high-calcium pyroxenes, confirming the dominance of mafic minerals – particularly in mare regions and fresh impact craters along with associated ejecta, such as those from Maskelyne G and Messier/Messier A. These areas are characterised by deeper absorption bands compared to surrounding terrains. Variations in spectral slopes are also observed and are associated with both surface maturity and compositional differences, consistent with the spectral characteristics of the observed regions retrieved by previous instruments. We apply thermal emission correction to investigate potential features above 2.6 µm, to discriminate possible absorption bands in the MAJIS infrared spectral range. Nevertheless, further work is required to fully explore this spectral range. Finally, comparison with datasets from previous missions demonstrates strong consistency in derived spectral parameters, validating the performance of MAJIS for lunar mineralogical studies. These findings highlight MAJIS' capability to characterise both composition and maturity of the lunar surface, while also emphasising its potential for future investigations in the Jovian system.
SN - 0992-7689
SN - 1432-0576
ER -