Posted on 11/17/2011 9:32:54 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Explanation: This colorful topographical map of the Moon is centered on the lunar farside, the side not seen from planet Earth. That view is available to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter though, as the spacecraft's wide angle camera images almost the entire lunar surface every month. Stereo overlap of the imaging has allowed the computation of topographical maps with coverage between 80 degrees north and south latitude. The results have about a 300 meter resolution on the lunar surface and 10 to 20 meter elevation accuracy. Data closer to the north and south poles is filled in using the orbiter's laser altimeter. In this map, white, red, green, and purple represent progressively lower elevations. In fact, the large circular splotch tending to purple hues at the bottom is the farside's South Pole-Aitken Basin. About 2500 kilometers in diameter and over 12 kilometers deep, it is one of the largest impact basins in the Solar System.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit: NASA / GSFC / DLR / Arizona State Univ. / Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]
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That moon is made of swiss cheese.
Thank you for posting this! The photo of the moon is beautiful.
Amid all the hyped-up political news, the same-old lame occupy movement news, baby disappearances and killings in the midwest and coach pedophilia and cover-ups, this is certainly something refreshing.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget there’s an entire world out there beyond what is wall to wall repeatedly blasted on the news.
It does sort of look like melted cheese that has been cooking for a little while and is getting to the point that it is breaking up with holes in it. It somehow looks strange. It looks like a solid ball with a sort of thick coating on it that is somehow evaporating and leaving holes. It doesn’t look like I expect it to.
nifty!
Somebody picked all the pepperoni off the pizza.
Worse case of acne I’ve ever seen.
Where is that ‘Like’ button? Your post is likable.
Cool...a whole new face full of craters!
"Tastes like Stilton!"
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