Minimoons are also interesting because even if we can't send a spacecraft to snag one and bring it back to Earth, we can still use ground-based telescopes to study it in detail. Second, the total mass of rocks brought back from the Moon is far less than the mass of a single 1-meter diameter minimoon. Also the rocks from the Moon are just like rocks from the Earth's surface because the Moon was formed from the same material. Though astronomers have lots of rocks from space, from the moon, and from Mars, all the meteorites in collections around the world are heated when they pass through the atmosphere and then damaged by years of weathering and erosion while sitting on the Earth's surfaces. Scientific opportunities for detailed analysis would be unprecedented. Why are minimoons interesting? The primary reason is that they could be targets for robotic spacecraft that would bring the entire asteroid back to Earth! Astronomers and geologists would love to have a 1-meter diameter chunk of rock in their laboratories that has never traveled through the atmosphere. The largest minimoon is probably only about one meter (3 ft) in diameter compared to the Moon which is 3.5 million meters in diameter (about 2,000 miles). Helsinki) and Jeremie Vaubaillon (Paris Observatory) suggest that the Earth always has a retinue of "minimoons" along with the much larger Moon. Recent simulations by ATLAS astronomer Robert Jedicke and his colleagues Mikael Granvik (U. For about one year the Earth had two known moons. In 2006, a 5-meter diameter asteroid (2006RH120) was discovered temporarily orbiting Earth. “This collection can assist mission planners in this new era of south pole exploration.The path of a simulated minimoon that is temporarily captured by Julie Stopar, Universities Space Research Association staff scientist and director of the Regional Planetary Image Facility at the LPI. “There are many exciting places to explore on the Moon, but the south pole has long held promise for a sustainable human presence,” said Dr. The new south pole maps can be used to identify and characterize topographically elevated (and illuminated) areas as well as permanently shadowed areas. Water-ice trapped near the lunar poles is particularly of interest for future explorers, as it may serve as a ready source of breathable air, drinkable water, and spacecraft propellant. These areas are permanently shadowed and very cold - so cold that volatiles like water-ice become trapped there. However, some areas near the poles, particularly those in low topographic areas are always in shadow, never receiving direct sunlight. Over the course of a year, the Sun will appear to move around the lunar horizon, changing the angle and extent of the shadows. The temperatures and illumination conditions at the lunar poles are dependent on local topography.Īt the poles, the Sun never rises much beyond a degree from the horizon, creating long shadows cast from topographically elevated areas. “As a result, there is an abundance of topographic data and images already available from the poles, including several digital elevation models derived from LRO’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument.” “LRO is in a polar orbit, meaning that it passes near the poles multiple times each day, resulting in many opportunities to study the south pole over the entire mission,” the scientists explained.
Atlas of moons series#
The LPI team utilized these data to generate a series of south pole maps that can be used to visualize the terrain near the south pole. The highlight of the new online atlas is a set of 14 topographic maps derived from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) data. Image credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute / Universities Space Research Association / NASA.
Topographic map of the Moon’s south pole (80°S to pole).
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