Video: Topography in the vicinity of the lunar south pole
The Moon's south pole and its surroundings are part of the lunar highlands, covered with countless impact craters of various sizes. These craters, formed mainly in the Moon’s early history, three to four billion years ago, have created a highly undulating landscape, with height differences of several thousand metres in some areas. The view spans from the prime meridian at approximately 85 degrees south latitude, over the south pole, and northward along the 180-degree meridian. The Athena lander of the IM-2 mission will land on the plateau of Mons Mouton (in the foreground), the highest elevation in the region. The south pole is located precisely on the left edge of Shackleton Crater, which has a diameter of 21 kilometres. The colour-coded topographic elevation data was obtained using the LOLA laser altimeter, which was superimposed on an image mosaic from the LROC camera. These instruments have been orbiting the Moon on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter since 2009.
Video: Topography in the vicinity of the lunar south pole
Video: Topography in the vicinity of the lunar south pole
The Moon's south pole and its surroundings are part of the lunar highlands, covered with countless impact craters of various sizes. These craters, formed mainly in the Moon’s early history, three to four billion years ago, have created a highly undulating landscape, with height differences of several thousand metres in some areas. The view spans from the prime meridian at approximately 85 degrees south latitude, over the south pole, and northward along the 180-degree meridian. The Athena lander of the IM-2 mission will land on the plateau of Mons Mouton (in the foreground), the highest elevation in the region. The south pole is located precisely on the left edge of Shackleton Crater, which has a diameter of 21 kilometres. The colour-coded topographic elevation data was obtained using the LOLA laser altimeter, which was superimposed on an image mosaic from the LROC camera. These instruments have been orbiting the Moon on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter since 2009.
Credit:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio