The Mineral Moon
Explanation:
Even
if the Moon really were made of
green cheese it probably wouldn't
look this bizarre.
Still, this
mosaic
of 53 images was recorded by the
Jupiter-bound Galileo spacecraft as
it passed near our own large
natural
satellite in 1992.
The pictures were recorded through three spectral filters and
combined in an exaggerated false-color scheme
to explore the
composition
of the lunar surface as
changes in mineral content produce subtle
color differences in
reflected light.
Familiar to earthdwellers, the lunar near side is
on the left, but the space-based view looks down on the
Moon's
north pole located
in the upper half of the image near the shadow line.
Blue to orange shades indicate volcanic lava flows.
The dark blue
Mare Tranquillitatis
at the lower left is richer in
titanium bearing minerals than the green and orange maria above it.
Near the bottom of the image and to the right of Tranquillitatis
is the dark oval-shaped Mare Crisium surrounded by
shocking pink colors indicating material of the
lunar
highlands.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
