* Astronomy

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Post Info TOPIC: South Pole-Aitken basin


L

Posts: 131433
Date:
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



__________________


L

Posts: 131433
Date:
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
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.



Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse
Powered by ActiveBoard