Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                                2022 April 10
     [2]The featured image shows the permanently shadowed region at the
     Moon's South Pole. The picture is a composite of many lunar images
   taken from many illumination angles revealing which parts are never in
        direct sunlight. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                      Shadows at the Moon's South Pole
     Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]Arizona State U., [5]Lunar Reconnaissance
                                   Orbiter

   Explanation: Was this image of the Moon's surface taken with a
   microscope? No -- it's a [6]multi-temporal illumination map made with a
   wide-angle camera. To create it, the [7]Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
   spacecraft collected 1,700 images over a period of 6 lunar days (6
   Earth months), repeatedly covering an area centered on the [8]Moon's
   south pole from different angles. The resulting images were stacked to
   produce the [9]featured map -- representing the percentage of time each
   spot on the surface was illuminated by the [10]Sun. Remaining
   convincingly [11]in shadow, the floor of the 19-kilometer diameter
   [12]Shackleton [13]crater is seen near the map's center. The [14]lunar
   south pole itself is at about 9 o'clock on the crater's rim. Crater
   floors near the lunar south and north poles can remain in permanent
   [15]shadow, while mountain tops can remain in nearly [16]continuous
   sunlight. Useful for [17]future outposts, the [18]shadowed crater
   floors could offer [19]reservoirs of water-ice, while the sunlit
   mountain tops offer [20]good locations to collect [21]solar power.

                       Tomorrow's picture: ISS Sunspot
     __________________________________________________________________

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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [33]Robert Nemiroff ([34]MTU) & [35]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([36]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [37]Specific rights apply.
              [38]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [39]ASD at [40]NASA / [41]GSFC
                           & [42]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2204/SouthPoleShadows_LRO_1214.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://sese.asu.edu/
   5. https://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/
   6. https://www.lroc.asu.edu/posts/271
   7. https://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/about.html
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_south_pole
   9. https://www.lroc.asu.edu/posts/271
  10. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/in-depth/
  11. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4043
  12. https://www.south-pole.com/p0000097.htm
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shackleton_(crater)
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200206.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190722.html
  16. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zlngRTDQMAk/hqdefault.jpg
  17. https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/
  18. https://youtu.be/EA46nq6klPw
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101025.html
  20. https://www.whatnextnow.com/home/solar/where-is-the-best-location-on-earth-for-solar-energy
  21. https://climatekids.nasa.gov/concentrating-solar/
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220409.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  31. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220410
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220411.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  35. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  36. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  39. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  42. http://www.mtu.edu/