Astronomy Picture of the Day 7-27-02

NASA ^ | 7-27-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 July 27

Apollo 11: Catching Some Sun
Credit: Apollo 11, NASA (Image scanned by Kipp Teague)

Explanation: Bright sunlight glints and long dark shadows dramatize this image of the lunar surface taken by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the Moon. Pictured is the mission's lunar module, the Eagle, and spacesuited lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin unfurling a long sheet of foil also known as the Solar Wind Collector. Exposed facing the Sun, the foil trapped atoms streaming outward in the solar wind, ultimately catching a sample of material from the Sun itself. Along with moon rocks and lunar soil samples, the solar wind collector was returned for analysis in earthbound laboratories.

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Fun Fact:

The moon may look bright in the night sky, but it actually has a low albedo (reflectivity).
Note that the surface material ("regolith") is the color of half-used charcoal briquets.
The moon's albedo is around .08, which means it reflects only 8% of the light that hits it.

Get on the APOD PING list!

[petuniasevan]

APOD PING!

[NormsRevenge]

Thank You and Thanks to YaHoo Reference

Albedo - Fraction of light reflected by a body or surface, commonly used in astronomy to describe the reflective properties of planets,
natural satellites, and asteroids. "Normal" albedo (the relative
brightness of a surface when illuminated and observed from
directly above) is often used to determine the surface
compositions of satellites and asteroids. The albedo, diameter,
and distance of such objects together determine their brightness.

[2Trievers]

I thought you said "libido" ... oh, never mind ... &;-)

[BradyLS]

"...Albedo: .039 ... Albedo: .039 ... Albedo: .039...."

[MeekOneGOP]

One small step for man......
one giant leap for mankind!

American Translation:

TouchDown!

[MeekOneGOP]

Score:

Americans: 7
World: 0

[MeekOneGOP]

This is such an amazing picture. Thanks!

[petuniasevan]

It varies according to source, and whether you mean visual or total ("Bond") albedo.
Pick a number. It's still a cold half-used charcoal briquet for brightness.

[RightWhale]

What we need to do, mainly to get some cash-flow but also to convince those who claim to disbelieve we landed on the moon at all, is to draw a large, bright, colorful Pepsi logo across the entire visible surface. Those who think the moon is reflective and bright have seen nothing yet! It will also be the only celestial object visible to the youngsters in their light-polluted cities.

[petuniasevan]

That's an idea. Corporate logos are on everything else...

Tinfoil "Moon Hoax" proponents beware! Fox TV and the Apollo Moon Hoax

[BradyLS]

Actually, it's a line from a Vangelis piece I was hoping somebody would appreciate. Isn't the albedo of the Earth "0.39?"

Vangelis "0.39" bump!

[BradyLS]

(Andt I agree with your assessment of the mmon's surface appearance!)

[petuniasevan]

"...Albedo: .039 ... Albedo: .039 ... Albedo: .039...."

Oh! What threw me off-course was the misplaced decimal. You of course meant 0.39.

I still like the Chariots of Fire theme...

[BradyLS]

Indeed I did misplace it. Cool album!