Some of the strangest but most beautiful features on the moon
are lunar swirls. The most famous one, Reiner Gamma, is a
favorite target of backyard telescopes. Using data from the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, we now know swirls are the result
of local magnetic fields in the moon’s crust that act like
stencils, selectively blocking radiation from the sun and
causing parts of the surface to weather at different rates –
producing interesting patterns and coloration.