Table of Contents
- 1 What could be the greatest advantage of building a telescope on the far side of the moon?
- 2 How do scientists use impact craters to judge the age of a planet or a moon?
- 3 Why are the craters on the moon dark?
- 4 Where is the largest telescope in the world?
- 5 Why are impact craters important?
- 6 How does studying craters help astronomers tell the age of a surface?
- 7 What are the oldest craters on the Moon?
- 8 What happens when an asteroid hits the Moon?
- 9 What is the surface of the Moon made of?
What could be the greatest advantage of building a telescope on the far side of the moon?
Such a large telescope on the far side of the moon would allow scientists to explore a range of radio wavelengths they can’t see from Earth and would open the door to learning more about the Dark Ages of the universe.
How do scientists use impact craters to judge the age of a planet or a moon?
of a projectile (like a meteor) on the surface or a planet or moon. The explosion of materials at the crater site creates bright streaks of material called rays. Lunar Geologists record the number and size of craters and the amount of erosion of craters to help determine their ages.
Why are the craters on the moon dark?
The dark spots on the lunar surface are actually craters of varying sizes that formed due to collisions from celestial bodies, such as comets, meteorites and asteroids in the past, which left large, excavated holes after the impact.
Do you need a powerful telescope to see the surface of the moon?
So how big a telescope would it take to see a moonwalker? To get less than 2-meter (6-foot)resolution when the Moon is closest, we’d need a telescope able to resolve angles as small as 0.001 arcsecond. That translates into a diameter exceeding 100 meters (4,000 inches).
How Saturn looks through a telescope?
Despite its beauty, Saturn appears quite small in a telescope. You can never see Saturn through a telescope quite as well as you would like to. Once you get the planet in view, pop a low-power eyepiece in your scope. At 25x, you’ll see Saturn as non-circular, and 50-60x should reveal the rings and the planet’s disk.
Where is the largest telescope in the world?
The largest refracting telescope in the world is at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Instead of a mirror, it gathers light with a 40-inch glass lens. Astronomers also gather radio waves from space using dish-shaped antennas, the largest of which is the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
Why are impact craters important?
Impact craters allow scientists to study a planet’s geological history—even when the records are buried beneath the surface. During an impact, buried material is ejected while outward pressure pushes the rock at the crater’s edge upward, forming a rim.
How does studying craters help astronomers tell the age of a surface?
One way to estimate the age of a surface is by counting the number of impact craters. Thus, in the absence of forces to eliminate craters, the number of craters is simply proportional to the length of time the surface has been exposed.
What is the huge crater on the Moon?
The South Pole–Aitken basin
The South Pole–Aitken basin (SPA Basin, /ˈeɪtkɪn/) is an immense impact crater on the far side of the Moon. At roughly 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and between 6.2 and 8.2 km (3.9–5.1 mi) deep, it is one of the largest known impact craters in the Solar System.
What is the largest crater on the Moon’s visible side?
It’s called the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin and it’s 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and 13 km (8.1 mi) deep. A new study says that the basin may contain an enormous chunk of metal that’s larger than Hawaii’s Big Island.
What are the oldest craters on the Moon?
Both SPA and Apollo are estimated to be among the oldest lunar craters, based on the large number of smaller craters superimposed on top of them.
What happens when an asteroid hits the Moon?
The tremendous heat of the impact also melted part of the floor of the crater, turning it into a sea of molten rock. That was just an opening shot. Asteroid bombardment over billions of years has left the lunar surface pockmarked with craters of all sizes, and covered with solidified lava, rubble, and dust.
What is the surface of the Moon made of?
Asteroid bombardment over billions of years has left the lunar surface pockmarked with craters of all sizes, and covered with solidified lava, rubble, and dust. Glimpses of the original surface, or crust, are rare, and views into the deep crust are rarer still.
How can we reconstruct the history of the Moon?
Just as geologists can reconstruct Earth’s history by analyzing a cross-section of rock layers exposed by a canyon or a road cut, we can begin to understand the early lunar history by studying what’s being revealed in Apollo.” Petro presents his result Thursday, March 4 during the Lunar and Planetary Science meeting in Houston, Texas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs-nEyDWoXE