by henk21cm » Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:00 pm
Moon Slide Slim?
Are the APOD folks running out of good titles?
Repetition is the art of teaching. For those covered by cloudy skies, it is nice to have an image; the forcast for tomorrow here is cloudy, the moon will be obscured by low stratus. In more than 40 years the wheather favoured maybe 5 eclipses.
However, more interesting to me is the image you included: the IR shot of the moon during an eclips. Striking phenomenon is the large amount of hot craters in Mare Transquilitatis, whereas the amount of 'visible' craters in this mare is relatively low compared to the amount of craters on the south eastern lunasphere. Why so many in Transquilitatis and zero in Mare Crisium? The angle of the lunar surfase is not the key, since a symmetry with the western lunasphere is non existing.
The hottest craters seem to correlate with those craters known for their radiant apearence at full moon: Tycho, Copernicus, Plinius, Kepler, Aristarchus etc. The heatsink of these craters to the lunar body must be low, to heat up more than their surroundings. Furthermore they have to radiate the heat towards the earth rather well, to be visible.
This completely new to me. Art, thanks for teaching me today a new aspect of the moon.
[quote]Moon Slide Slim?
Are the APOD folks running out of good titles?[/quote]
Repetition is the art of teaching. For those covered by cloudy skies, it is nice to have an image; the forcast for tomorrow here is cloudy, the moon will be obscured by low stratus. In more than 40 years the wheather favoured maybe 5 eclipses.
However, more interesting to me is the image you included: the IR shot of the moon during an eclips. Striking phenomenon is the large amount of hot craters in Mare Transquilitatis, whereas the amount of 'visible' craters in this mare is relatively low compared to the amount of craters on the south eastern lunasphere. Why so many in Transquilitatis and zero in Mare Crisium? The angle of the lunar surfase is not the key, since a symmetry with the western lunasphere is non existing.
The hottest craters seem to correlate with those craters known for their radiant apearence at full moon: Tycho, Copernicus, Plinius, Kepler, Aristarchus etc. The heatsink of these craters to the lunar body must be low, to heat up more than their surroundings. Furthermore they have to radiate the heat towards the earth rather well, to be visible.
This completely new to me. Art, thanks for teaching me today a new aspect of the moon.