APOD: Shadows at the Moon's South Pole (2022 Apr 10)

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APOD: Shadows at the Moon's South Pole (2022 Apr 10)

Post by APOD Robot » Sun Apr 10, 2022 4:05 am

Image Shadows at the Moon's South Pole

Explanation: Was this image of the Moon's surface taken with a microscope? No -- it's a multi-temporal illumination map made with a wide-angle camera. To create it, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft collected 1,700 images over a period of 6 lunar days (6 Earth months), repeatedly covering an area centered on the Moon's south pole from different angles. The resulting images were stacked to produce the featured map -- representing the percentage of time each spot on the surface was illuminated by the Sun. Remaining convincingly in shadow, the floor of the 19-kilometer diameter Shackleton crater is seen near the map's center. The lunar south pole itself is at about 9 o'clock on the crater's rim. Crater floors near the lunar south and north poles can remain in permanent shadow, while mountain tops can remain in nearly continuous sunlight. Useful for future outposts, the shadowed crater floors could offer reservoirs of water-ice, while the sunlit mountain tops offer good locations to collect solar power.

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heehaw

Re: APOD: Shadows at the Moon's South Pole (2022 Apr 10)

Post by heehaw » Sun Apr 10, 2022 11:27 am

Certainly easy to spot where we will have our permanently staffed base, and the path to follow to collect ice every day. Less clear is what the inhabitants will do with themselves every day. Gather rocks?

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Re: APOD: Shadows at the Moon's South Pole (2022 Apr 10)

Post by Chris Peterson » Sun Apr 10, 2022 1:32 pm

heehaw wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 11:27 am Certainly easy to spot where we will have our permanently staffed base, and the path to follow to collect ice every day. Less clear is what the inhabitants will do with themselves every day. Gather rocks?
Gather ice.
Chris

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Re: APOD: Shadows at the Moon's South Pole (2022 Apr 10)

Post by orin stepanek » Sun Apr 10, 2022 3:40 pm

SouthPoleShadows_LRO_960.jpg
Seems as though establishing a settlement there could be self
sustaining! with solar electricity; and constant water supply! Just
need a garden!
hqdefault.jpg
Do not disturb; kitty is sunbathing! :lol2:
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

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Re: APOD: Shadows at the Moon's South Pole (2022 Apr 10)

Post by De58te » Sun Apr 10, 2022 5:46 pm

heehaw wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 11:27 am Certainly easy to spot where we will have our permanently staffed base, and the path to follow to collect ice every day. Less clear is what the inhabitants will do with themselves every day. Gather rocks?
I would suggest build space telescopes in that permanently dark region and hunt for new exoplanets and or alien civilizations. I would guess that there is no man made light pollution there. Maybe even darker than at the Earth's South Pole. (I suppose they'd have to put black curtains over their habitat windows.) Even in the light areas which are not facing the Earth side they could build radio telescopes and listen for Seti. The side facing away from Earth would be blocked from stray radio waves coming from Earth.

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Re: APOD: Shadows at the Moon's South Pole (2022 Apr 10)

Post by bystander » Sun Apr 10, 2022 6:47 pm

Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk.
— Garrison Keillor

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Re: APOD: Shadows at the Moon's South Pole (2022 Apr 10)

Post by MarkBour » Mon Apr 11, 2022 2:01 am

De58te wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 5:46 pm
heehaw wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 11:27 am Certainly easy to spot where we will have our permanently staffed base, and the path to follow to collect ice every day. Less clear is what the inhabitants will do with themselves every day. Gather rocks?
I would suggest build space telescopes in that permanently dark region and hunt for new exoplanets and or alien civilizations. I would guess that there is no man made light pollution there. Maybe even darker than at the Earth's South Pole. (I suppose they'd have to put black curtains over their habitat windows.) Even in the light areas which are not facing the Earth side they could build radio telescopes and listen for Seti. The side facing away from Earth would be blocked from stray radio waves coming from Earth.
That does sound like a really great idea.
Will have to tread carefully around the secret Chinese base, of course. :-)
Mark Goldfain

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Re: APOD: Shadows at the Moon's South Pole (2022 Apr 10)

Post by Chris Peterson » Mon Apr 11, 2022 3:27 am

De58te wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 5:46 pm
heehaw wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 11:27 am Certainly easy to spot where we will have our permanently staffed base, and the path to follow to collect ice every day. Less clear is what the inhabitants will do with themselves every day. Gather rocks?
I would suggest build space telescopes in that permanently dark region and hunt for new exoplanets and or alien civilizations. I would guess that there is no man made light pollution there. Maybe even darker than at the Earth's South Pole. (I suppose they'd have to put black curtains over their habitat windows.) Even in the light areas which are not facing the Earth side they could build radio telescopes and listen for Seti. The side facing away from Earth would be blocked from stray radio waves coming from Earth.
Space is probably better. Gravity messes up the figure of a mirror.
Chris

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