World’s First Image Taking of the Moon by HDTV (HD Luna)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ^ | 11/10/07 | JAXA

[NormsRevenge]

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) have successfully performed the world's first high-definition image taking by the lunar explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE,) which was injected into a lunar orbit at an altitude of about 100 km on October 18, 2007, (Japan Standard Time. Following times and dates are all JST.)

The image shooting was carried out by the onboard high definition television (HDTV) of the KAGUYA, and it is the world's first high definition image data acquisition of the Moon from an altitude about 100 kilometers away from the Moon.

The image taking was performed twice on October 31. Both were eight-fold speed intermittent shooting (eight minutes is converged to one minute.) The first shooting covered from the northern area of the "Oceanus Procellarum" toward the center of the North Pole, then the second one was from the south to the north on the western side of the "Oceanus Procellarum." The moving image data acquired by the KAGUYA was received at the JAXA Usuda Deep Space Center, and processed by NHK.

The satellite was confirmed to be in good health through telemetry data received at the Usuda station.

[NormsRevenge]

North Pole Area (still image cut out from the first image shooting)

This is a still image taken out from the first moving image shooting when the KAGUYA flew from the northern area of the "Oceanus Procellarum"(*1) to the center of the North Pole.

As the altitude near the North Pole is high, the angle of the coming sunlight was lower, thus the shade of the crater topography looks long in the image.

The moving image was taken at 4:07 a.m. on October 31, 2007 (JST) by eight-fold speed intermittent shooting (eight minutes is converged to one minute) from the KAGUYA, and the data was received at the JAXA Usuda Deep Space Center on the same day.

(*1) Oceanus Procellarum: The dark area on the Moon's surface called "ocean." It is located at the left end of the northern hemisphere on the front side of the Moon when we look up at it from the Earth.

[NormsRevenge]

Click on the

Moving image of the Moon shot by the HDTV camera
(480X270px, no audio)

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2007/11/20071107_kaguya_e.html

a pretty coool video

[aruanan]

Are there preferential trajectories for impacts on the moon or was the bombardment about the same from all directions?

[Grizzled Bear]

Yeah right. There’s no space program! It’s all filmed in a studio on Okinawa!

(SARC/)

[NormsRevenge]

beats me.. looks like it got it pretty good all over

[wastedyears]

It looks computer generated to me.

[aruanan]

The reason I ask is because if most of the stuff hitting the moon is coming in on the ecliptic, then you’d expect more elongated impacts in the polar regions.

[sit-rep]

Wow...

Cool post!

[NormsRevenge]

good question tho,, considering that some could be the result of swarms of cosmic debris , some at random , others not quite so.. the moon doesn't rotate so I'll be curious if they can get shots of the alien bases on the back side. ;-) pretty good little device..

The High Definition Television (prior to loading on the KAGUYA)

[NormsRevenge]

Pretty high quality stuff, huh?

[Professional]

I saw a program that studied meteors. The idea was to figure out why earth’s surface wasn’t pelted like the moon. Aside from the atmosphere, there actually are all sorts of craters on earth. It’s just that vegetation and erosion wipe it way, make it less noticeable. Everything on the moon, is permanent, without an atmosphere.

[rlmorel]

Very cool...thanks for posting it.

[steve86]

I would have been shocked if there were audio.

And no, I’m not Richard Hoagland or Muhammad Ali.

[Kirkwood]

“the moon doesn’t rotate “

Actually it does rotate approximately once per month.

[NormsRevenge]

yur kidding? I never noticed. I stand corrected. Thanks!

[Nathan Zachary]

The craters on the moon are largest and most numerous facing the earth, and are fairly "young", because they do not show a advanced "crater creep", the gradual crumbling and flattening out of crater walls. The craters on the other side are much smaller and fewer. Why this is is covered here: fountains of the deep

[Nathan Zachary]

sure it rotates, but the side facing the earth always faces the earth.

[Nathan Zachary]

"I'll be curious if they can get shots of the alien bases on the back side. ;-) pretty good little device..

Oh Oh! Superman's ice castle will be discovered.

[Nathan Zachary]

erosion occurs on the moon as well, but at a different rate.
If you look closely you can see newer, smaller craters on the moon beside the larger older ones.

The earth has far less craters on it. Nasa has some good pics which shows them.

A theory for why the moon has more craters on it facing the earth is because the stuff that made them came from the earth to begin with, during a catastrophic event. The earth is quite easily capable of producing the power needed to propel very large chunks of it’s surface crust to escape velocities.

[SatinDoll]

“The earth is quite easily capable of producing the power needed to propel very large chunks of it’s surface crust to escape velocities.”

EXCUSE ME!! Since when did the Earth acquire this ability? Anytime recent?

[Professional]

No kidding ? Like a volcano?

[dr_lew]

...the moon doesn't rotate...

BNNNNNKKK. Thanks for playing.

The moon rotates at the same rate that it revolves. If it didn't rotate, it would keep the same orientation in space.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

A theory for why the moon has more craters on it facing the earth

The far side of the moon (the side that does not face the earth) is more densely cratered than the side facing the Earth. The near side features the "maria" or plains visible from the Earth.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Looks like Linda Ronstadt’s face under harsh lighting!

[frankenMonkey]

Nice try.
But this is a science thread, not a fantasy thread. Sheesh!

[NormsRevenge]

soooo... during a complete rotation of the moon or revolution or over that time period to make one complete one, we would then be able to also view the entire surface of the moon, if we were in the right spots on earth to do so that is
No?

I was never very good with heavenly bodies and their movement in our solar system around and with the planets and moons. I do enjoy the mystique angle, just curious about the alien bases and stuff. ;-).

[dr_lew]

soooo... during a complete rotation of the moon or revolution or over that time period to make one complete one, we would then be able to also view the entire surface of the moon, if we were in the right spots on earth to do so that is No?

Well, if the moon did not rotate with respect to "the fixed stars", then as you say, during a complete revolution we would view the entire surface. Of course the "poles" would never face the earth directly. It wouldn't make much difference where you were on the earth. One interesting effect would be that the full moon would show a different face depending on the time of year.

Note that "revolution without rotation" describes the "do si do" maneuver in square dancing, where the partners step around each other while always facing the same way in the room.

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks, I’ll have a couple beers and re-read that later.. makes sense... OHl, btw, I have two left feet , both at square dancing and astronomy. ;-)