The polar regions of the moon are often a topic of astronomical studies, as it is known to contain several craters and other lunar depressions that are far away from the sunlight. These regions rarely receive the rays that make the moon reflective on our perspective here on Earth. Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research recently examined the said parts of the lunar body to identify these unknown craters. By utilizing a machine learning algorithm with high-resolution technology called Hyper-effective nOise Removal U-net Software or HORUS, the experts gathered the image of 17 moon craters.
Lunar Craters in the Moon's Polar Regions
The craters placed on the polar regions of the moon are theorized to have frozen water composition, which could also be among the anticipated milestones that the future lunar missions will include in their studies. Among the group of lunar craters, the study analyzed the small variants that are the most convenient to study. These small craters are surrounded by slopes that have average measurements, enough for a probe to go through. In addition, there are three craters included in the imaging that is part of the mission area that will be managed in 2023 by NASA's Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or VIPER.
Throughout the imaging of the moon craters, researchers were faced with challenges. Some of the craters were difficult to map due to the excessive shadows on the polar areas. The issue has only been resolved due to the long exposure imaging technique or by lowering the overall resolution of the captures. Moreover, the nearby lunar hills gave an advantage that allowed the experts to gain a new imaging approach. Through the collective efforts of the study, the researchers were able to process images that scale to 1 to 2 meters per pixel, a good quality that is comparable to the standard cameras available today.
The moon has a lower temperature compared to our planet. Because of the absence of essential factors that could make its materials flourish, the lunar surface has features similar to a dry desert. The moon is not protected by any sheet such as our atmosphere to protect it from foreign cosmic materials.
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Frozen Water Source in Moon
The water that is supposed to be present on the moon since its early formation has also disappeared due to evaporation brought by intense solar radiation. However, the clues that lie beyond the lunar crater could be the key to understanding more about how these features vanished. The polar evidence could also point out the remaining water source of the lunar body. To get the best out of the study, The institute was joined by experts from the University of Oxford and NASA Ames Research Center.
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research expert and author of the study Valentin Bickel said in a PhysOrg report that the sunlight touches the parts near the north and south lunar poles at a shallow angle. Because of the limited reach of the rays, light rarely illuminates the poles.
The phenomenon is dubbed an 'eternal night,' where the darkness covers almost the entire polar regions, and lower temperatures could freeze liquified materials. The eternal night may also be the solution for the experts to find the limited water source on the moon frozen over millions of years. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications, titled "Peering into lunar permanently shadowed regions with deep learning."
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