NASA Funds Proposal to Build a Gigantic Telescope on the Far Side of the Moon

Gizmodo ^ | 04/15/2020 | Geroge Dvorsky

[BenLurkin]

LCRT would be an ultra-long-wavelength radio telescope capable of capturing some of the weakest signals traveling through space.

“It is not possible to observe the universe at wavelengths greater than 10 meters [33 feet], or frequencies below 30 MHz, from Earth-based stations, because these signals are reflected by the Earth’s ionosphere,” said Bandyopadhyay. “Moreover, Earth-orbiting satellites would pick up significant noise from Earth’s ionosphere,” which is why “such observations are very difficult.”

It’s for this reason that wavelengths greater than 10 meters have yet to be explored by scientists. Consequently, this telescope would be a tremendous boon to astronomers and cosmologists, who would use it to study the early universe as it existed some 13.8 billion years ago, including the formation of the earliest stars.

[rktman]

It'll be in the dark.😂

[treetopsandroofs]

Uh oh. Have the Nazis there given their permission?

[Jeff Chandler]

Have they consulted with Gary Larson?

[wally_bert]

Don’t store any nuclear waste there either.

[odawg]

I suppose they have worked out a way to receive signals from the backside of the moon.

[Dacula]

The moon orbits and rotates, right?

[BenLurkin]

[FroggyTheGremlim]

Not sure what objects they’re interested in. That’s some pretty low-energy radiation.

[gibsonguy]

There is no dark side of the moon, as a matter of fact it’s all dark.

[chief lee runamok]

[Campion]

A couple of relay satellites, one at the L2 lagrangian point, and the other at L4 or L5, ought to do it.

NASA didn't want to do that in 1972, which is why no Apollo missions landed on the far side.

[ClearCase_guy]

Not sure what objects they’re interested in. That’s some pretty low-energy radiation.

They've lost track of Jeb Bush. Hoping to find him.

[Chauncey Gardiner]

What... an early warning of the hemorrhoid that’s on its way to killing us?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The moon is "tidally locked" in its orbit around the earth. On average, it rotates at the same rate at which it orbits, so that it mostly keeps the same face towards the earth. Because the moon's orbit is somewhat elliptical it's speed in orbit varies, but it's rotational speed is quite uniform. The change in speed causes the moon to appear to swing back and forth over the course of a month, a phenomenon called "libration". The elliptical shape of the moons orbit causes the moon to appear larger or smaller depending on its distance from the earth. The lunation depicted above is from October 2007, and happens to be a "supermoon", when perigee and full moon closely coincided.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The moon is "tidally locked" in its orbit around the earth. On average, it rotates at the same rate at which it orbits, so that it mostly keeps the same face towards the earth. Because the moon's orbit is somewhat elliptical it's speed in orbit varies, but it's rotational speed is quite uniform. The change in speed causes the moon to appear to swing back and forth over the course of a month, a phenomenon called "libration". The elliptical shape of the moons orbit causes the moon to appear larger or smaller depending on its distance from the earth. The lunation depicted above is from October 2007, and happens to be a "supermoon", when perigee and full moon closely coincided.

[Dacula]

So... It is like my wife’s belly when she was pregnant with our kids?

Silly me.

[PhiloBedo]

Get ready for the church ladies to freak out.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Maybe we should pay off the trillions in debt before any more “Lost in Space” projects.

[Vermont Lt]

No, the Nazis are at the South Pole. The Reptilians own the moon.

Didn’t you see the press release?