NASA picture is best yet of a permanently shadowed region on the moon.
We’ve got our best look yet into the areas on the moon that sunlight never reaches.
These permanently shadowed regions lie inside craters and depressions near the moon’s poles, and because the spin axis of the moon is only tilted about 1.5 degrees, they stay dark and cold year-round.
There are more than 300 known permanently shadowed regions, or PSRs, on the moon, but the fact that they are always dark makes it extraordinarily difficult to observe what is going on inside them.
That is the goal of NASA’s ShadowCam instrument, which orbits the moon aboard the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, also called Danuri.
Danuri entered orbit around the moon on 16 December 2022, and now ShadowCam has sent back its first image.
The picture shows a region about 2000 metres wide inside Shackleton crater, near the lunar south pole.
To stay up to date with latest top stories, make sure to subscribe to this YouTube channel by clicking the button above this video!
Foreign [Music] Best Yet of a permanently shadowed Region on the moon we've got our best Look yet into the areas on the moon that Sunlight never reaches these permanently Shadowed regions lie inside craters and Depressions near the moon's poles and Because the spin axis of the moon is Only tilted about 1.5 degrees they stay Dark and cold year round there are more Than 300 known permanently Shadow Regions or psrs on the moon but the fact That they are always dark makes it Extraordinarily difficult to observe What is going on inside them that is the Goal of NASA's Shadow cam instrument Which orbits the moon aboard the Korea Pathfinder lunar orbiter also called Denuri denuri entered orbit around the Moon on 16 December 2022 and now Shadow Cam has sent back its first image the Picture shows a region about 2000 meters Wide inside Shackleton crater near the Lunar South Pole to stay up to date with Latest top stories make sure to Subscribe to this YouTube channel by Clicking the button above this video This first image didn't reveal in any Surprises but it demonstrated that the Camera works just as well as the Researchers were hoping says Mark Robinson at Arizona State University Shadow Cam's principal investigator near
The top of the image is the trail worn By a boulder about five meters across as It rolled down the slope wall of the Crater Shadow cam is 200 times more Sensitive than the camera that was Previously used to observe psrs which Circles the moon aboard NASA's lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter that high Sensitivity allows it to peer into these Dark areas using only the small amount Of sunlight that bounces off the Surrounding landscape the portion of Shackleton crater in this image is warm Compared with other psrs regularly Rising above the minus 163 degrees Centigrade temperature that is required To keep water ice stable on the lunar Surface but other colder psrs and maybe Even colder regions of the same crater Are thought to host ice or Frost which May be useful for future missions to the Moon over the course of the next year or So Shadow cam is expected to observe all Of the known psrs Robinson says the Hunt Is on for Moon ice and if it lurks in The shadows this camera should be able To Spot It [Music]
