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As you watch the Moon over the course of a month, you'll notice that different

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features are illuminated by the Sun at different times. However, there are some

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parts of the Moon that never see sunlight. These areas are called

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permanently shadowed regions, and they appear dark because unlike on the Earth,

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the axis of the Moon is nearly perpendicular to the direction of the

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Sun's light. The result is that the bottoms of certain craters, like here at

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the Moon's south pole, are never pointed toward the Sun, with some remaining dark

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for over two billion years.
However, thanks to new data from NASA's Lunar

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Reconnaissance Orbiter, we can now see into these dark craters in incredible

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detail. Seeing the shape of the crater is important, and LRO has used its LOLA

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instrument to make the best yet topographical maps of these craters by

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reflecting lasers off the lunar surface. This has allowed us to see the shapes of

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the craters' interiors from any angle, and by making 3D models, we can light up the

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crater floors as if we had a giant flashlight. And although the Sun never

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illuminates these craters, other stars still cast a faint light into the

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permanent shadows. LRO's LAMP instrument can actually measure this light, giving

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us yet another view of this unique region on the Moon.
LRO's DIVINER

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instrument can also measure temperature, revealing the extreme cold within the

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craters. Finally, LRO's LEND instrument can measure the speed of neutrons to

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detect elements like hydrogen in the lunar soil. So, while there are some areas

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on the Moon that never see the light of day, LRO will keep collecting data so

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that we can learn more about them. And as we continue to study the Moon, we'll

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improve our understanding of Earth's original satellite, and, pun fully

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intended, bring new discoveries to light.

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Music

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Beep, Beep, Beep