* Astronomy

Members Login

Post Info

TOPIC: South Pole-Aitken basin

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Jun 22 00:54 2012

Shackleton crater	Permalink

Researchers find evidence of ice content at the moon's south pole If humans are ever to inhabit the moon, the lunar poles may well be the location of choice: Because of the small tilt of the lunar spin axis, the poles contain regions of near-permanent sunlight, needed for power, and regions of near-permanent darkness containing ice - both of which would be essential resources for any lunar colony. The area around the moon's Shackleton crater could be a prime site. Scientists have long thought that the crater - whose interior is a permanently sunless abyss - may contain reservoirs of frozen water. But inconsistent observations over the decades have cast doubt on whether ice might indeed exist in the shadowy depths of the crater, which sits at the moon's south pole. Read more __________________

Blobrana

L

Posts: 131433

Date: Mar 12 18:30 2012

South Pole-Aitken basin	Permalink

Asteroids May Have Delivered Magnetic Material to the Moon After running sophisticated computer models, a trio of researchers believe a giant crater at the moon's south pole may hold the answer to a long-standing mystery about why portions of the lunar crust have a magnetic field and other parts don't. Mysterious magnetic material detected on the surface may have been delivered by a 120-mile-wide asteroid that crashed into the moon about 4.5 billion years ago leaving behind a gaping hole on the far side of the moon that is one of the largest-known impact craters in the solar system. Read more The South Pole-Aitken basin is an impact crater on Earth's Moon. Roughly 2,500 kilometres in diameter and 13 kilometres deep, it is one of the largest known impact craters in the Solar System. It is the largest, oldest and deepest basin recognised on the Moon. This moon basin was named for two features on opposing sides; the crater Aitken on the northern end and the southern lunar pole at the other end. The outer rim of this basin can be seen from Earth as a huge chain of mountains located on the lunar southern limb, sometimes called "Leibnitz mountains", although this name has not been considered official by the International Astronomical Union. Source __________________

Page 1 of 1 sorted by

Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse