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When planetary geologist Shuai Li realized there were minerals containing iron oxide on the moon's surface, his first thought was, How did they get there? "Finding hematite is exciting," the University of Hawaii at Manoa researcher says, but he and his colleagues puzzled over its origin for a year. Iron oxide—better known as rust—is common on Earth, but solar wind's fire hose of protons reduces most species on the moon's surface, and oxygen is typically in short supply there.
And here's another article:
Sunrise at Copernicus crater: How to see the 'Monarch of the Moon' | Space
To the owner of a small telescope the moon is more interesting than anything else in the sky, because it's close enough to be seen really well. Even binoculars will show features on its surface. But you don't need a telescope to enjoy the moon.
On Thursday evening (Aug. 20), very low in the western sky, was a slender sliver of a crescent moon two days past new phase . This was a sky signal by which the ancients set their calendars. Astronomers have mapped the face of the moon by watching it over a period of time, as it waxes from new to full and wanes from full to old.
The 1st Artemis astronauts on the moon may not visit the lunar south pole after all, NASA says |
For 18 months, NASA has focused on landing astronauts in 2024 near the moon's south pole, but that last piece of the directive may need to take a back seat if executing the mission gets too tricky, agency officials say.
The Artemis program landing site issue came up at two separate events with agency leaders this week, beginning with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine's comments to open a digital meeting held by a NASA advisory group called the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, on Monday (Sept. 14).
NASA to test precision automated landing system designed for the moon and Mars on upcoming Blue
Currently, NASA already uses automated landing for its robotic exploration craft on the surface of other planets, including the Perseverance rover headed to Mars. But a lot of work goes into selecting a landing zone with a large area of unobstructed ground that’s free of any potential hazards in order to ensure a safe touchdown. Existing systems can make some adjustments, but they’re relatively limited in that regard.
SPLICE is designed to enable more exact landings, and ones that can deal with more nearby hazards, enabling exploration in areas that were previously considered off-limits for landers. That could greatly expand our ability to gain more knowledge and better understanding of the moon and Mars, which is particularly important as we continue to work toward more human exploration and even potential colonization.
Quite a lot has been going on:
4 places to buy mooncakes online for the Moon Festival - The Washington Post
People may be all about pumpkin spice lattes for fall, but for me, it's not complete without mooncakes.
Chinese people around the world eat them in celebration of the Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Oct. 1 this year. The festival is all about "family reunions and expressing love to the faraway family members, friends and lovers," said Pu Wang, associate professor of Chinese literature, language and culture at Brandeis University. "The roundness, yuan, of the full moon then symbolizes a complete gathering, tuanyuan, of a loving family."
The rarity of 2020's Halloween full moon - Deseret News
Because of the Metonic Cycle , a full moon appears in some parts of the world — but not most parts — on Halloween every 19 years. (In 2001, for example, the United States' Central and Pacific time zones experienced a Halloween full moon.) But after 1944, the Metonic Cycle shifted the full moon a day forward to Nov. 1 (in the years 1963, 1982 and 2001) for most locations, according to the Farmers' Almanac .
"Every time zone has it except those east of (GMT) +8 time zones if they have daylight time, or (GMT) +9 with no daylight time," astronomy educator Jeffrey Hunt wrote, according to CNET.
New Moon In Virgo 2020: A Time For Reflection & Change
Will this lander carry humans to the moon? Dynetics unveils lunar mock-up | Space
Dynetics has built a full-scale mock-up of the lander it hopes will soon be carrying NASA astronauts to the moon .
The Alabama-based company unveiled the model of its proposed human lunar lander on Tuesday (Sept. 15). The low-fidelity prototype — which includes a crew module, deployable solar arrays and propellant tanks for lunar descent and ascent — will be used to inform and refine the final lander design.
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That mission, broadly speaking, is NASA's Artemis program of crewed lunar exploration. Artemis aims to land two astronauts near the moon's south pole in 2024 and establish a permanent, sustainable human presence on and around Earth's natural satellite by 2028.
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