'Mystery house' on dark side of the moon is just a rabbit-shaped rock

'Mystery house' on dark side of the moon is just a rabbit-shaped rock

The 'mystery house' recently spotted on the dark side of the moon has finally been photographed up close and the truth about it revealed.

It turns out it's just a rabbit-shaped rock.

Last November China's Yutu 2 lunar rover photographed what looked like a cube-shaped object in an area known as the Von Kármán crater. Reports at the time said it was around 80m away.

But after slowly moving towards it since, Our Space - a website affiliated with the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) - reported the object "which was as tall as the Arc de Triomphe, turned out to be very short when approached, and the drivers couldn't help but feel a little disappointed".

Our Space reported after the disappointment of seeing the truth of the lack of house on the moon, the rover drivers were "lost" until one pointed out the bunny resemblance.

"Hearing his voice, everyone gathered around again. A lifelike rabbit came into view," it wrote.

It even suggested the stones in front looked like a carrot while the smaller round stone behind looked like rabbit poop.

"The picture is full of fun and makes people laugh," Our Space reported.

The 'mystery house' on the moon is just a rabbit-shaped rock
The drivers were reportedly disappointed after finding out the truth. Photo credit: Supplied / CNSA / Our Space

It took so long to get close enough to get a more detailed picture of the rock 'rabbit' because the lunar rover moves so slowly and can only operate part of the time.

Since landing on the moon's surface in 2019 Yutu 2 has only clocked up just over 1000m of movement in total.

Lunar nights on the far side of the moon last over two Earth weeks during which the rover can't move and the lunar day gets so hot - with temperatures hitting 127C due to the lack of atmosphere - that it has to stay still.

Phil Stooke, a professor emeritus and adjunct research professor at the University of Western Ontario, told the website Space.com that complex route planning and scientific experimentation on board also contributed to the long delay.

"After a drive, the rover takes images for a full stereoscopic panorama, and the team on the ground makes a topographic map showing obstacles and slopes all around," Stooke told the website.

 "They analyse the map and choose a path for the next drive. This limits them to a maximum of about 8 to 10m per drive, and it all takes time."

Yutu 2 is now dormant again, and when it next wakes up it will get even closer to the rabbit, and start to examine the large impact crater behind it, according to the CNSA.