Bengaluru, Aug 27: ISRO on Sunday released a graph of the temperature variation on the lunar surface and a senior scientist of the space agency expressed surprise over the high temperature recorded on the Moon.

The national space agency said Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) payload onboard Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander measured the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole to understand the thermal behaviour of the Moon's surface.

"Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander. ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's surface," ISRO said in an update on social media platform 'X'.

Speaking about the graphic illustration, ISRO scientist B H M Darukesha told PTI: "We all believed that the temperature could be somewhere around 20 degree centigrade to 30 degree centigrade on the surface but it is 70 degree centigrade. This is surprisingly higher than what we had expected."

The space agency said the payload has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 centimetres beneath the surface.

"The probe is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors. The presented graph illustrates the temperature variations of the lunar surface/near-surface at various depths, as recorded during the probe's penetration. This is the first such profile for the lunar south pole. Detailed observations are underway," ISRO said in a statement.

Scientist Darukesha explained, "When we go two to three centimetres inside the Earth, we hardly see two to three degree centigrade variation whereas there (in Moon), it is about 50 degree centigrade variation. This is something interesting."

The temperature dips to minus 10 degree Celsius below the lunar surface, the senior scientist said, adding that the variation is from 70 degree Celsius to minus 10 degree Celsius.

ISRO said the ChaSTE payload was developed by a team led by the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) of the space agency's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in collaboration with Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad.

India on August 23 scripted history as ISRO's ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar surface, making it only the fourth country to accomplish the feat, and first to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth's only natural satellite.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that the spot where Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander touched down would henceforth be called 'Shiv Shakti Point', and the site where the Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on the Moon's surface in 2019 would be known as 'Tiranga Point'.

Besides, August 23 would be celebrated as 'National Space Day' to mark the day when Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the lunar surface, Modi said.

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Panaji, Feb 27 (PTI): The sale of idli-sambar in beach shacks is causing a “decline” in international tourist footfall in Goa, claimed BJP MLA Michael Lobo on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference at Calangute in North Goa, Lobo said the government alone cannot be blamed if fewer foreigners visit the coastal state as all stakeholders are equally responsible.

Lobo rued that Goans have rented their beach shacks to businessmen from other places.

“Some people from Bengaluru are serving ‘vada pav’ in the shacks, some are selling idli-sambar. (That's why) International tourism has been declining in the state for the past two years," he said.

The legislator, however, did not elaborate on how the popular South Indian breakfast dish is affecting tourism in his state.

“There is a hue and cry because of the drop in tourist numbers. In the coastal belt, be it North or South, there has been a sharp fall in the arrival of foreign visitors. A lot of factors are responsible for this,” Lobo said.

Everyone, as stakeholders, should bear the responsibility for it, he said.

Lobo said some foreigners visit Goa every year, but younger tourists from abroad are going away from the state.

“The tourism department and other stakeholders should hold a joint meeting and study the reasons why foreign tourists are not ready to come to Goa,” he said.

Lobo said because of the war, Russian and Ukrainian tourists have stopped coming to Goa. “The tourists from former USSR countries have stopped visiting Goa,” he said.

The MLA said the state should sort out the crucial issues concerning tourism, including differences between the cab aggregators and local tourist taxi operators.

“If we don’t put a system in place, we will see dark days in the tourism sector,” he cautioned.