The Moon's most shadowy places can't hide from NASA's new camera
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Saturday, November 23, 2024


The Moon's most shadowy places can't hide from NASA's new camera
A handout photo shows the Shackleton Crater on the moon. The 13-mile-wide crater lies close to the moon’s south pole. Here, the sun never rises high above the horizon, abd the rim of Shckleton blocks the sun’s rays from ever shining directly on the crater floor. (NASA/KARI/Arizona State University via The New York Times)

by Kenneth Chang



NEW YORK, NY.- When a NASA spacecraft passes over Shackleton Crater on the moon and peers in, it sees a sea of blackness. The sun never rises high above the horizon, and the rim of Shackleton blocks the sun’s rays from ever shining directly onto the crater floor.

There are more than 300 such craters on the moon, and the darkness hides an intriguing mystery: oases of frozen water, which could provide a key resource for astronauts living there in the future.

Scientists have now figured out how to, in essence, flip on the light switch.

How is it possible to take a picture of a place where the sun never shines?

The new views are the fruits of ShadowCam, an instrument that NASA provided for Danuri, a South Korean orbiter that arrived at the moon in December.

Since 2009, almost all of the moon’s surface has been photographed in detail by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a NASA spacecraft. But its camera is not sensitive enough to see anything in the permanently shadowed craters.

Those shadows, however, are not pitch-black. Sometimes sunlight bounces off the ground into the crater, and then ricochets upward to Danuri as it passes overhead.

Other images are illuminated by earthlight — sunlight that has bounced off Earth toward the moon. That is enough to brighten the shadowed craters a little.

While the optics of ShadowCam are almost identical to those in the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s camera, the new instrument takes superlong exposures, increasing sensitivity by a factor of about 200.

The invisible darkness becomes visible.

Prasun Mahanti, deputy principal investigator for ShadowCam, said that when the scientists saw the first images, their reaction was relief that the instrument worked as designed.

“Then excitement kicked in immediately,” he said.

In certain places at certain times, the shadows are not even that dark. At a conference in March, scientists working on ShadowCam reported that the indirect light was comparable to “comfortable indoor lighting levels.”

Astronauts visiting those regions may not need to carry flashlights to see where they are going, although glare and long shadows could still pose problems.

ShadowCam can also shed light on the mystery of water on the moon. A NASA mission in 2009 identified water in a cloud of debris excavated from Cabeus Crater, one of the permanently shadowed regions.

But where is the water?

Even though ShadowCam images show white spots, so far none seem to be ice. Most of the bright spots appear to be boulders, exposed bedrock or fresh craters. That could mean that the water is covered by dust or trapped in minerals in the rocks.

Mahanti said more findings on this question are in the scientific pipeline.

ShadowCam is an example of greater international collaboration by NASA these days. South Korea gets to add to its space expertise while NASA saves the expense of building and operating its own spacecraft.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

August 6, 2024

Kaminski Auctions to feature unique artifacts from the Carmelite Nuns Monastery, Danvers, Massachusetts

Two Jean Dufy paintings take the top spots at Roland Auctions NY July 27th Summer Auction

Woody Auction to offer outstanding examples of furniture, art glass and more

Cape Ann Museum launches campaign with $18 million raised - setting sights on $20 million

'The 80s: Photographing Britain' opens this November at Tate Britain

Archaeologists find a 2,400-year-old 'pot of gold' in Turkey

Blue: Art for the Ocean - Blue Marine Foundation and Christie's unite to auction artist-donated works

Tiny sprouts spotted at the stump of the fallen Sycamore Gap tree

Opening 6 September: 'Peter Schlesinger: New Sculptures and Photographic Memories'

A mental gold medal winner

Major solo exhibition Rekospective: The Art of Reko Rennie opens 11 October

Heritage Auctions offers Rob Liefeld's original art introducing The Merc with a Mouth

Norton Museum of Art exhibitions explore global issues through video, photomontage

Jackie Fox saw the dark side of rock. Now she's playing her own way.

Two new musicals poke at the seamy underbelly of the American Dream

'Trap' review: Pop goes the thriller

An 18th century phenom arrives at Lincoln Center

As hundreds of churches sit empty, some become malls and restaurants

This NYC tourist hub has become trash-strewn chaos for everyone

The Moon's most shadowy places can't hide from NASA's new camera

How Online Slot Algorithms Impact Your Winnings

The Benefits of Collaborative Art Assignments for Student Learning

A Blossoming Bond: The 11th Taiwan Orchid Expo at New York Queens Botanical Garden

Experience the Thrill of Free UFC Streams: Your Gateway to Free UFC Action

From 'Kakuda' to Classics: Horror Movies You Should Not Miss on ZEE5

Do Not Miss-Out on the 2024 Blockbuster Movie 'Bhaiyya Ji' Only on ZEE5

©Color Psychology in Prom Dress Selection




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful