Visualizing Shackleton Crater

  • Released Thursday, June 21st, 2012
  • Updated Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 1:52PM
  • ID: 4716
A visualization of Shackleton crater. The near (Earth-facing) side of the Moon is to the right. In the false-color elevation on the left, red is higher and blue is lower.

A visualization of Shackleton crater. The near (Earth-facing) side of the Moon is to the right. In the false-color elevation on the left, red is higher and blue is lower.

These computer-generated images are centered on Shackleton, a well-preserved, bowl-shaped crater, 21 kilometers wide and 4 km deep, at the Moon's south pole. Shackleton's floor is in perpetual shadow, but LOLA, the laser altimeter on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, reveals boulders and low hills, or hummocks, formed by material slumping from the crater's sides. Shackleton's cold interior may harbor water ice and other volatiles that would evaporate rapidly if exposed to the Sun. In contrast, some points on the rim of the crater are in persistent sunshine and may be ideal places for solar panels. The ridge on the far side of the crater in this view connects Shackleton's rim to the rim of the adjacent crater Slater. Another ridge, just out of frame on the left, connects to de Gerlache crater. Certain points on these ridges are also in persistent sunshine.

A visualization of Shackleton crater. The near (Earth-facing) side of the Moon is to the right. Color coded and contoured elevation illuminates the crater floor.

A visualization of Shackleton crater. The near (Earth-facing) side of the Moon is to the right. Color coded and contoured elevation illuminates the crater floor.

A visualization of Shackleton crater in natural color, with an alpha channel for space in the background.

A visualization of Shackleton crater in natural color, with an alpha channel for space in the background.

For More Information

See Researchers Estimate Ice Content of Crater at Moon's South Pole (NASA.gov)

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Missions

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Series

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Papers used in this visualization

Zuber et al., Constraints on the volatile distribution within Shackleton crater at the lunar south pole, Nature 486, 378-381 (21 June 2012)

Datasets used in this visualization

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