Mini-Rf S- and X-Band Bistatic Observations of South Polar Craters on the Moon
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Glossary Glossary
Glossary Glossary Albedo A measure of an object’s reflectivity. A pure white reflecting surface has an albedo of 1.0 (100%). A pitch-black, nonreflecting surface has an albedo of 0.0. The Moon is a fairly dark object with a combined albedo of 0.07 (reflecting 7% of the sunlight that falls upon it). The albedo range of the lunar maria is between 0.05 and 0.08. The brighter highlands have an albedo range from 0.09 to 0.15. Anorthosite Rocks rich in the mineral feldspar, making up much of the Moon’s bright highland regions. Aperture The diameter of a telescope’s objective lens or primary mirror. Apogee The point in the Moon’s orbit where it is furthest from the Earth. At apogee, the Moon can reach a maximum distance of 406,700 km from the Earth. Apollo The manned lunar program of the United States. Between July 1969 and December 1972, six Apollo missions landed on the Moon, allowing a total of 12 astronauts to explore its surface. Asteroid A minor planet. A large solid body of rock in orbit around the Sun. Banded crater A crater that displays dusky linear tracts on its inner walls and/or floor. 250 Basalt A dark, fine-grained volcanic rock, low in silicon, with a low viscosity. Basaltic material fills many of the Moon’s major basins, especially on the near side. Glossary Basin A very large circular impact structure (usually comprising multiple concentric rings) that usually displays some degree of flooding with lava. The largest and most conspicuous lava- flooded basins on the Moon are found on the near side, and most are filled to their outer edges with mare basalts. -
October 2006
OCTOBER 2 0 0 6 �������������� http://www.universetoday.com �������������� TAMMY PLOTNER WITH JEFF BARBOUR 283 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 In 1897, the world’s largest refractor (40”) debuted at the University of Chica- go’s Yerkes Observatory. Also today in 1958, NASA was established by an act of Congress. More? In 1962, the 300-foot radio telescope of the National Ra- dio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) went live at Green Bank, West Virginia. It held place as the world’s second largest radio scope until it collapsed in 1988. Tonight let’s visit with an old lunar favorite. Easily seen in binoculars, the hexagonal walled plain of Albategnius ap- pears near the terminator about one-third the way north of the south limb. Look north of Albategnius for even larger and more ancient Hipparchus giving an almost “figure 8” view in binoculars. Between Hipparchus and Albategnius to the east are mid-sized craters Halley and Hind. Note the curious ALBATEGNIUS AND HIPPARCHUS ON THE relationship between impact crater Klein on Albategnius’ southwestern wall and TERMINATOR CREDIT: ROGER WARNER that of crater Horrocks on the northeastern wall of Hipparchus. Now let’s power up and “crater hop”... Just northwest of Hipparchus’ wall are the beginnings of the Sinus Medii area. Look for the deep imprint of Seeliger - named for a Dutch astronomer. Due north of Hipparchus is Rhaeticus, and here’s where things really get interesting. If the terminator has progressed far enough, you might spot tiny Blagg and Bruce to its west, the rough location of the Surveyor 4 and Surveyor 6 landing area. -
Glossary of Lunar Terminology
Glossary of Lunar Terminology albedo A measure of the reflectivity of the Moon's gabbro A coarse crystalline rock, often found in the visible surface. The Moon's albedo averages 0.07, which lunar highlands, containing plagioclase and pyroxene. means that its surface reflects, on average, 7% of the Anorthositic gabbros contain 65-78% calcium feldspar. light falling on it. gardening The process by which the Moon's surface is anorthosite A coarse-grained rock, largely composed of mixed with deeper layers, mainly as a result of meteor calcium feldspar, common on the Moon. itic bombardment. basalt A type of fine-grained volcanic rock containing ghost crater (ruined crater) The faint outline that remains the minerals pyroxene and plagioclase (calcium of a lunar crater that has been largely erased by some feldspar). Mare basalts are rich in iron and titanium, later action, usually lava flooding. while highland basalts are high in aluminum. glacis A gently sloping bank; an old term for the outer breccia A rock composed of a matrix oflarger, angular slope of a crater's walls. stony fragments and a finer, binding component. graben A sunken area between faults. caldera A type of volcanic crater formed primarily by a highlands The Moon's lighter-colored regions, which sinking of its floor rather than by the ejection of lava. are higher than their surroundings and thus not central peak A mountainous landform at or near the covered by dark lavas. Most highland features are the center of certain lunar craters, possibly formed by an rims or central peaks of impact sites. -
IWLOP Logbook
Isabel Williamson Lunar Observing Logbook The certificate applicant must use this logbook (or an equivant means) to qualify. Enter the date, time, and other details for each observation as indicated. The R (required) objectives are mandatory; the C (challenge) objectives are optional. Sketch drawings are also optional, but encouraged. Use the small template provided, or the larger one found on p. 84 of this logbook. PART 1 – Introducing the Moon A – Lunar Phases and Orbital Motion R 1 – Enter in the notes section the date and time for each phase observed. R 2 – Date _________________ Time__________________ R 3 – Date _________________ Time__________________ Date _________________ Time__________________ Notes _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ B – Major Basins (Maria) & Pickering Unaided Eye Scale R 1 – Date __________________ Time__________________ C 1 – Date __________________ Time__________________ C 2 – Date __________________ Time__________________ Notes (see p. 81 of this logbook for optional Pickering Unaided Eye Scale) __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ C – Ray System Extent R 1 – Date ___________________ Time_________________ C 1 – Date ___________________ Time_________________ Notes (see p. 82 of this -
Mini-Rf Radar Observations of Polar Craters: Are They Rough, Smooth, Or Icy?
50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2019 (LPI Contrib. No. 2132) 2861.pdf MINI-RF RADAR OBSERVATIONS OF POLAR CRATERS: ARE THEY ROUGH, SMOOTH, OR ICY?. G. W. Patterson1, L. M. Jozwiak1, R. Kirk2, T. L. Becker2, R. Perkins3, L. M. Carter4, A. M. Stickle1, J. T. S. Cahill1, B. J. Thomson5, C. D. Neish6 and the Mini-RF team 1Planetary Exploration Group, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD ([email protected]), 2U.S. Geological Survey, Astrogeology Science Center, Flagstaff AZ, 3Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, 4Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 5 Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 6University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. Introduction: The possibility that water ice could antenna operated as a transmitter and receiver. In this be present in lunar polar craters has long been operational mode, it transmitted a left-circular polarized postulated [e.g., 1,2]. More recently, measurements signal and received orthogonal linear polarizations [14]. from instruments on a number of spacecraft have all In December of 2010 the transmitter experienced a pointed to the presence of water at the lunar poles [e.g., malfunction and ceased to operate, precluding further 3-7]. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing monostatic data collection. Prior to this malfunction, Satellite (LCROSS) impact into a permanently Mini-RF was able to collect S-band data that covered > shadowed portion of Cabeus crater (84.9°S, 35.5°W; 98 66% of the lunar surface and > 95% of the lunar poles. -
GRAIL Gravity Observations of the Transition from Complex Crater to Peak-Ring Basin on the Moon: Implications for Crustal Structure and Impact Basin Formation
Icarus 292 (2017) 54–73 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Icarus journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/icarus GRAIL gravity observations of the transition from complex crater to peak-ring basin on the Moon: Implications for crustal structure and impact basin formation ∗ David M.H. Baker a,b, , James W. Head a, Roger J. Phillips c, Gregory A. Neumann b, Carver J. Bierson d, David E. Smith e, Maria T. Zuber e a Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA b NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA c Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA d Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA e Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: High-resolution gravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission provide Received 14 September 2016 the opportunity to analyze the detailed gravity and crustal structure of impact features in the morpho- Revised 1 March 2017 logical transition from complex craters to peak-ring basins on the Moon. We calculate average radial Accepted 21 March 2017 profiles of free-air anomalies and Bouguer anomalies for peak-ring basins, protobasins, and the largest Available online 22 March 2017 complex craters. Complex craters and protobasins have free-air anomalies that are positively correlated with surface topography, unlike the prominent lunar mascons (positive free-air anomalies in areas of low elevation) associated with large basins. -
Lunar Club Observations
Guys & Gals, Here, belatedly, is my Christmas present to you. I couldn’t buy each of you a lunar map, so I did the next best thing. Below this letter you’ll find a guide for observing each of the 100 lunar features on the A. L.’s Lunar Club observing list. My guide tells you what the features are, where they are located, what instrument (naked eyes, binoculars or telescope) will give you the best view of them and what you can expect to see when you find them. It may or may not look like it, but this project involved a massive amount of work. In preparing it, I relied heavily on three resources: *The lunar map I used to determine which quadrant of the Moon each feature resides in is the laminated Sky & Telescope Lunar Map – specifically, the one that shows the Moon as we see it naked-eye or in binoculars. (S&T also sells one with the features reversed to match the view in a refracting telescope for the same price.); and *The text consists of information from (a) my own observing notes and (b) material in Ernest Cherrington’s Exploring the Moon Through Binoculars and Small Telescopes. Both the map and Cherrington’s book were door prizes at our Dec. Christmas party. My goal, of course, is to get you interested in learning more about our nearest neighbor in space. The Moon is a fascinating and lovely place, and one that all too often is overlooked by amateur astronomers. But of all the objects in the night sky, the Moon is the most accessible and easiest to observe. -
Around the Moon by Jules Verne
All Around the Moon By Jules Verne 1 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER, RESUMING THE FIRST PART OF THE WORK AND SERVING AS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND. A few years ago the world was suddenly astounded by hearing of an experiment of a most novel and daring nature, altogether unprecedented in the annals of science. The BALTIMORE GUN CLUB, a society of artillerymen started in America during the great Civil War, had conceived the idea of nothing less than establishing direct communication with the Moon by means of a projectile! President Barbican, the originator of the enterprise, was strongly encouraged in its feasibility by the astronomers of Cambridge Observatory, and took upon himself to provide all the means necessary to secure its success. Having realized by means of a public subscription the sum of nearly five and a half millions of dollars, he immediately set himself to work at the necessary gigantic labors. In accordance with the Cambridge men's note, the cannon intended to discharge the projectile was to be planted in some country not further than 28° north or south from the equator, so that it might be aimed vertically at the Moon in the zenith. The bullet was to be animated with an initial velocity of 12,000 yards to the second. It was to be fired off on the night of December 1st, at thirteen minutes and twenty seconds 2 before eleven o'clock, precisely. Four days afterwards it was to hit the Moon, at the very moment that she reached her perigee, that is to say, her nearest point to the Earth, about 228,000 miles distant. -
Guide to Observing the Moon
Your guide to The Moonby Robert Burnham A supplement to 618128 Astronomy magazine 4 days after New Moon south is up to match the view in a the crescent moon telescope, and east lies to the left. f you look into the western sky a few evenings after New Moon, you’ll spot a bright crescent I glowing in the twilight. The Moon is nearly everyone’s first sight with a telescope, and there’s no better time to start watching it than early in the lunar cycle, which begins every month when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth. Langrenus Each evening thereafter, as the Moon makes its orbit around Earth, the part of it that’s lit by the Sun grows larger. If you look closely at the crescent Mare Fecunditatis zona I Moon, you can see the unlit part of it glows with a r a ghostly, soft radiance. This is “the old Moon in the L/U. p New Moon’s arms,” and the light comes from sun- /L tlas Messier Messier A a light reflecting off the land, clouds, and oceans of unar Earth. Just as we experience moonlight, the Moon l experiences earthlight. (Earthlight is much brighter, however.) At this point in the lunar cycle, the illuminated Consolidated portion of the Moon is fairly small. Nonetheless, “COMET TAILS” EXTENDING from Messier and Messier A resulted from a two lunar “seas” are visible: Mare Crisium and nearly horizontal impact by a meteorite traveling westward. The big crater Mare Fecunditatis. Both are flat expanses of dark Langrenus (82 miles across) is rich in telescopic features to explore at medium lava whose appearance led early telescopic observ- and high magnification: wall terraces, central peaks, and rays. -
And X-Band Bistatic Observations of South Polar Craters on the Moon
EPSC Abstracts Vol. 12, EPSC2018-729, 2018 European Planetary Science Congress 2018 EEuropeaPn PlanetarSy Science CCongress c Author(s) 2018 Mini-RF S- and X-band Bistatic Observations of South Polar Craters on the Moon G. W. Patterson (1), P. Prem (1), A. M. Stickle (1), J. T. S. Cahill (1), Land the Mini-RF Team (1) Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD ([email protected]). Abstract Laboratory data and analog experiments at optical wavelengths have shown that the scattering Mini-RF S-band bistatic observations of Cabeus properties of lunar materials (e.g., CPR) can be crater floor materials display a clear opposition sensitive to variations in phase angle [6-8]. This response consistent with the presence of water ice. sensitivity manifests as an opposition effect and Initial X-band bistatic observations of Cabeus and likely involves contributions from shadow hiding at Amundsen crater floor materials do not show a low angles and coherent backscatter near 0°. Analog similar response. This could indicate that, if water ice experiments and theoretical work have shown that is present in Cabeus crater floor materials, it is buried the scattering properties of water ice are also beneath ~0.5 m of regolith that does not include sensitive to variations in phase angle, with an radar-detectible deposits of water ice. opposition effect that it is tied primarily to coherent backscatter [9-11]. Differences in the character of the opposition response of these materials offer an 1. Introduction opportunity to differentiate between them, an issue Mini-RF aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance that has been problematic for radar studies of the Orbiter (LRO) is a hybrid dual-polarized synthetic Moon that use a monostatic architecture [12,13]. -
Sterrekundewoordeboek Dictionary of Astronomy
Sterrekundewoordeboek Dictionary of Astronomy Afrikaans – Engels Opmerkings: 1. Hierby aangeheg is die Afrikaans-Engels-gedeelte van die Sterrekundewoordeboek in elektroniese vorm. Geniet dit as ʼn klein bydrae tot die handhawing van Afrikaans. 2. Die Engels-Afrikaans-gedeelte van die Sterrekundewoordeboek is tans in die proses van elektroniese voorbereiding. Dit sal binnekort ook beskikbaar wees. 3. In die teks word na Bylaes verwys. Dit is nie op die oomblik in rekenaarformaat beskikbaar nie. Inligting daaromtrent kan by ondergenoemde verkry word. 4. Indien foute in die teks teëgekom word – veral ook foute wat kon ontstaan het in die elektroniese omskakelingsproses – laat weet ondergenoemde asseblief by die gegewe e-posadres. Johan de Klerk (voorsitter) [email protected] ooooooooooooooooooooo AAAA aandhemel : evening sky aandrywing : propulsion aandrywingsmeganisme (dryfmeganisme) : driving clock aandster {Venus} : evening star (Venus) aandwydte (westerwydte) {hoek tussen punt van opkoms of ondergang en wespunt, langs horison gemeet} : western amplitude (angle between rising or setting point and west point, measured along horizon) aangroei (akkreteer) : accrete aangroei-as (akkresie-as) : accretion axis aangroeiende ster (akkresiester) : accreting star aangroeiing (akkresie) {materievangs deur 'n sterrekundige voorwerp} : accretion (capture of matter by an astronomical object) aangroeiskyf (akkresieskyf) {materiaal gevange geneem deur gravitasieveld} : accretion disc (material being captured by gravitational field) aangroeistroom -
Moon Clementine Topographic Maps
GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS SERIES I–2769 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Prepared for the LUNAR NEAR SIDE AND FAR SIDE HEMISPHERES U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY NORTH NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION NORTH SHEET 1 OF 3 90° 90° 80° . 80° 80° 80° Peary Hermite Nansen Byrd Rozhdestvenskiy 70° 70° Near Side Far Side 70° 70° Hemisphere Hemisphere Plaskett Pascal . Petermann . Poinsot . Cremona . Scoresby v Hayn SHEET 1 . Milankovic 60° Baillaud 60° 60° Schwarzschild . Mezentsev 60° . Seares Ricco Meton Bel'kovich . Philolaus Bel'kovich . Karpinskiy . Hippocrates Barrow MARE Roberts . Poczobutt Xenophanes Pythagoras HUMBOLDTIANUM . Kirkwood Arnold West East Gamow Volta Strabo Stebbins 50° . 50° Hemisphere Hemisphere 50° Compton 50° Sommerfeld Babbage J. Herschel W. Bond . Kane De La Avogadro . South Rue Emden . Coulomb Galvani SHEET 2 Olivier Tikhov Birkhoff Endymion . MARE FR . Störmer IG O . von Rowland Harpalus R Békésy . IS Sarton 40° IS 40° 40° . Chappell . Stefan 40° . Mercurius Carnot OR Lacus North South Fabry . Millikan Wegener . Plato Tempor Hemisphere Hemisphere D'Alembert . Paraskevopoulos Bragg Ju ra . Aristoteles is Atlas . Schlesinger SINUS R s Montes . Slipher Wood te Harkhebi n Vallis Alpes . Montgolfier o SHEET 3 SINUS Lacus Hercules Landau Nernst M H. G. Campbell Mons . Bridgman Alpes Gauss Wells Rümker . Mortis INDEX . Vestine IRIDUM Eudoxus Messala . Cantor Ley Lorentz Wiener Frost 30° 30° 30° Szilard . 30° LA . Von Neumann CUS SOMNIOR . Kurchatov Charlier Hahn Maxwell . Appleton . Gadomski MARE UM Laue la Joliot o Montes Caucasus . Bartels ric . Aristillus Seyfert . Kovalevskaya . Russell Ag IMBRIUM . Posidonius tes Shayn n . Larmor o Cleomedes Plutarch . Cockcroft . M Montes . Berkner O Mare Struve er A .