Moon Articles
EARTH'S MOON - NEWS ARTICLES
Scientists: Moon Has No Ice Discovery
The poles of the moon seem to be just as barren as the rest of
the land, with no signs of the thick ice sheets hypothesized from
data provided by two robotic probes
First power station to harness moon opens New Scientist - October 2003
Chandra solves mystery of moon's dark side September 2003 - Scientific American
The Disappearing Moon: Why and Where it Hides Space.com - September 2003
Age-Old Moon Gardening Growing in Popularity National Geographic - July 2003
Lunar gardening is the oldest form of gardening known to man.
A view of the moon from orbit NASA - April 2003
Five times more water on Moon? Nature - March 2003
Moon Mechanics: What Really Makes Our World Go 'Round Space.com - March 2003
A billion years ago, the Moon was much closer to Earth than it is now.
Its tighter orbit meant it needed just 20 days to go around us, to
make a lunar month. A day on Earth at that time was 18 hours long.
'Double whammy' created the Moon 4.5 billion years ago BBC - February 2003
New crater revives Moon mystery January 2003 - New Scientist
Moon's 'youngest' crater discovered - hit in 1953 BBC - December 2002
New view of Moon August 2002 - BBC
Lights glow on Moon
Light site: The mighty crater Langrenus, 136 km across
June 13, 2000 - BBC
New evidence shows that the Moon is not a totally dead world as was thought by many astronomers. It does still occasionally stir with activity.
Even though they have been reported from time to time for hundreds of years
claims of changes on the lunar surface have always been controversial. Many scientists have dismissed the occasional reported sightings of glows and mists hanging over certain lunar features.
Clouds of light were seen dancing inside the crater
Now a French astronomer has obtained some of the most definite proof yet that occasionally something does disturb the lunar surface.
It was seen in 1992 by veteran lunar observer Audouin Dollfus of the Observatoire de Paris using the one metre (39 inch) Meudon reflecting telescope. He has only just finished analysing the results, and has submitted them for publication.
Fading light
On 30 December, he noticed a series of glows on the floor of the large crater
Langrenus. They were definitely not there the day before. Professor Dollfus
observed them for several days before they faded.
Each time he returned to the telescope he noticed that the shape of the glows had changed.
He believes that the glows are due to escaping gas that lifts dust above the
lunar surface into sunlight.
Some lunar observers have expressed surprise that such a mist should have
been seen above Langrenus which was not regarded as a prime candidate for lunar changes.
Professor Dolfuss points out that Langrenus, when observed in detail, has an extensive series of fractures on its crater floor and the gas could be
escaping from these.
Man on the Moon
So-called "Transient Lunar Phenonemon" (TLP) have been reported from time to time but definite evidence has been lacking.
Responding to observations from the ground, Neil Armstrong was asked to look for glows on the Moon during the Moon landing in July 1969. He reported seeing a part of the Moon glow, but later could not be sure which
region it was.
In 1994, the Clementine lunar orbiting satellite observed the crater
Aristarchus before and after a TLP was seen from the Earth. Clementine
spectral data suggested that parts of the crater had changed colour slightly.
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