Shadows Near The Moon's South Pole | NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Shadows Near The Moon's South Pole | NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

This video shows the movement of shadows near the Moon's South Pole over the course of two lunar days. This is equivalent to about two months on Earth. The visualization was created from data gathered by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft.

LRO has made a 3-D map of the Moon's surface at 100-meter resolution and 98.2% coverage (excluding polar areas in deep shadow), including 0.5-meter resolution images of Apollo landing sites.

LRO has been studying the Moon from up close since 2009, making it the longest-lived lunar orbiting mission ever. The orbiter has mapped the Moon’s surface and measured its temperature, composition, and radiation environment in unprecedented detail. Data from LRO enables NASA, and our international and commercial partners, to select locations on the lunar surface where spacecraft and astronauts can safely land. The orbiter is also helping NASA identify areas near the Moon’s South Pole with crucial resources like water and extended sunlight that provides power for equipment and supports exploration activities.

Learn more about LRO:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Visualizations by: Ernie Wright (USRA)
Produced, Edited, and Narrated by: David Ladd (USRA)
Lead Scientist: Noah Petro (NASA/GSFC)
Technical Support: Laurence Schuler (ADNET), Ian Jones (ADNET)
Duration: 1 minute, 23 seconds
Release Date: April 1, 2021

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