New researchers show very high-resolution images of the Moon taken from Earth, recording the landing site of the Apollo 15 mission.
A new set of photos released Jan. 10 at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Seattle, Washington, recorded landing site of the Apollo 15 mission from NASA as well as Tycho Cratera significant impact zone on the southern lunar plateau.
Detailed photo of the Apollo 15 landing site.
Detailed photo of the Apollo 15 landing site. (Photo: Raytheon Technologies).
The research team produced photos using Green Bank Telescope (GBT) 100 m diameter in West Virginia, the largest tunable radio telescope in the world, according to Patrick Taylor, head of the radar division at Green Bank Observatory and National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). GBT emits radio waves to illuminate the Moon. Their reflections were collected by a group of four 25m radio telescopes from the Long Baseline Telescope Array in Hilo, Hawaii.
During the imaging process, a prototype radar on the GBT transmitted 700 watts of power, which is equivalent to a household appliance or light bulb beam, according to Taylor. However, it can detect features as small as 1.5 meters around the Apollo 15 landing site and a small 5 meter object in Tycho Crater.
Researchers also used the device to collect data on a kilometer-diameter asteroid that flew past Earth at a distance five times the distance between Earth and the Moon. Due to its size and orbit, this asteroid is classified as potentially dangerous. But Taylor said the object does not threaten Earth at the moment. The device not only saw the asteroid, but also determined its size, speed, rotation, composition and how light scatters from its surface.
Taylor and his colleagues want to develop a more advanced version of the device, capable of transmitting with about 700 times more power, or about 500 kilowatts. Such a system could be used to conduct lunar geological research and search for space debris, as well as identify features of asteroids that could threaten Earth. This allows GBT to replace the famous Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which collapsed in 2020.
Article source: VnExpress
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New researchers show extremely high-resolution images of the Moon taken from Earth, recording the landing site of the Apollo 15 mission. A series of newly released photos…
