The Moon, Home to the Coldest Temperatures in our Solar System.
148 replies, posted
[IMG]http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/9355/faustini.jpg[/IMG]
Picture of the crater, which is home to -397 Degrees Fahrenheit temperatures.
[quote=News]Astronomers have found the coldest spot in our solar system and it may be a little close for comfort. It's on our moon, right nearby.
NASA's new Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is making the first complete temperature map of the moon. It found that at the moon's south pole, it's colder than far away Pluto. The area is inside craters that are permanently shadowed so they never see sun.
"It's sort of like a faint glow and that's your only source of heat," said David Paige, a University of California, Los Angeles, scientist who is part of the NASA team. "Right here in our own backyard are definitely the coldest things we've seen in real measurements."
Temperatures there were measured at 397 degrees below zero. That's just 35 degrees higher than the lowest temperature possible.
Pluto is at least a degree warmer even though it is about 40 times farther away from the sun.
The coldest temperatures on the moon were usually in craters that were within bigger craters, hiding farther from the sun, Paige said. Three craters where the cold temperatures were noted were Faustini, Shoemaker and Haworth. And some of the coldest places are so remote and unexplored they don't even have names yet, he said.
Soon, the moon's south pole will slightly warm up with the change of seasons and the north pole will get chillier, he said.
That ultra-cold temperature is important because it can trap volatile chemicals, such as water and methane, said NASA probe project scientist Richard Vondrak. Trapped volatiles would give any future astronauts resources to mine and could help scientists understand more about the origin of the early solar system, he said.
The moon probe, only a week into its science mission, has also found lots of indications of hydrogen, which could indicate trapped ice below the moon's surface, Vondrak said.
While NASA has been to the moon with astronauts and explored it many times decades ago, this is the first close-up look in about a decade and is focusing on the tantalizing south pole, where there is the best chance for hidden ice.
"It's unexplored," Paige said. "Nobody's seen what it's like in these areas before at this resolution."
And the closer, NASA's instruments look at the craters, the more nuanced they look.
"The moon is not just a billiard ball with dimples," Paige told The Associated Press. "It's got interesting cracks and crevices."[/quote]
Our moon is at least 1 degree colder than Pluto in certain spots, yet so close. 'Damn' is the only word that comes to mind in response.
[url=http://winonadailynews.com/news/science/article_bc705450-1efd-512b-ac67-112688de3a13.html]Source[/url]
[b]Edit:[/b] For those who didn't look at the source, and can't understand the picture, the crater is the top middle crater.
How is pluto warmer than the moon?
[QUOTE=Wayword;17361393]How is pluto warmer than the moon?[/QUOTE]
Seriosuly?
How does that happen...
Pluto isn't a planet so it doesn't exist anymore
[QUOTE=Jzzb;17361409]Pluto isn't a planet so it doesn't exist anymore[/QUOTE]
Dwarf planet.
[QUOTE=ShotgunDude;17361405]Seriosuly?[/QUOTE]
I read the article, all it says is that the moon is colder than pluto and I'm wondering how this is.
yah yah fuck pluto that stupid dog
[QUOTE=Wayword;17361424]I read the article, all it says is that the moon is colder than pluto and I'm wondering how this is.[/QUOTE]
The moon has craters in which sunlight never reaches. Pluto does get sunlight, just not a lot. That small difference makes this possible.
Thought the title was "The Moon, Home to the Moon Bear"
I'm disappointed but this is cool too
[QUOTE=CanibalMonke;17361435]The moon has craters in which sunlight never reaches. Pluto does get sunlight, just not a lot. That small difference makes this possible.[/QUOTE]
Pluto is also filled with craters yet how can it possibly be warmer?
[QUOTE=Valdor;17361407]How does that happen...[/QUOTE]
read it fucking moron
[editline]12:39AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Wayword;17361424]I read the article, all it says is that the moon is colder than pluto and I'm wondering how this is.[/QUOTE]
idiot
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("Flaming." - PacificV2))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=CanibalMonke;17361435]The moon has craters in which sunlight never reaches. Pluto does get sunlight, just not a lot. That small difference makes this possible.[/QUOTE]
You do realize that whilst one part of pluto is facing the sun, the other isn't, right? Right?
Also, what about asteroids in the cupiter belt?
[QUOTE=Wayword;17361456]Pluto is also filled with craters yet how can it possibly be warmer?[/QUOTE]
.............
[QUOTE=Wayword;17361456]Pluto is also filled with craters yet how can it possibly be warmer?[/QUOTE]
Either A), we haven't found a spot colder, or B), Pluto rotates enough to get sunlight into its craters.
[QUOTE=Christarp4;17361462]
idiot[/QUOTE]
Both are filled with craters.
One is 40 times further than the other one.
The closer one is apparently colder.
[editline]08:40PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=CanibalMonke;17361478]Either A), we haven't found a spot colder, or B), Pluto rotates enough to get sunlight into its craters.[/QUOTE]
We probably just haven't been in pluto's craters.
[QUOTE=Valdor;17361407]How does that happen...[/QUOTE]
Same way that there are some crevasses in the ground near where I live that have ice in them all year. The sun doesn't hit that spot.
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;17361470]You do realize that whilst one part of pluto is facing the sun, the other isn't, right? Right?
Also, what about asteroids in the cupiter belt?[/QUOTE]
You do realize that Pluto rotates and gets sunlight on both sides, right? Right?
Mean while, craters on the moon may never get sunlight.
[QUOTE=Wayword;17361486]Both are filled with craters.
One is 40 times further than the other one.
The closer one is apparently colder.
[editline]08:40PM[/editline]
We probably just haven't been in pluto's craters.[/QUOTE]
This could be true. Since I'm not an astronomer, I can't accurately answer the question.
We can only see what the temperatures are on pluto's side facing us, obviously. So you can't really say that the moon is definitely the home to the coldest temperatures in the system when we don't have all the data required to verify the statement.
[QUOTE=lil_n00blett;17361503]You do realize that Pluto rotates and gets sunlight on both sides, right? Right?
Mean while, craters on the moon may never get sunlight.[/QUOTE]
The moon also rotates...
The dark side of the moon never sees Earth, but it sees the sun.
Even if there are craters that don't get sun, the moon still rotates and gets sunlight on both sides.
[QUOTE=lil_n00blett;17361503]You do realize that Pluto rotates and gets sunlight on both sides, right? Right?
Mean while, craters on the moon may never get sunlight.[/QUOTE]
Because pluto obviously couldn't have the very same thing. Also, if you can prove that the temperatures on pluto's furthest side are indeed warmer than the coldest temperatures of the moon's, I'll agree with you. My point is that you can't decisively say that if you don't have the technology to verify.
[QUOTE=Wayword;17361530]The moon also rotates...
The dark side of the moon never sees Earth, but it sees the sun.
Even if there are craters that don't get sun, the moon still rotates and gets sunlight on both sides.[/QUOTE]
You obviously didn't read the article. This crater is ALWAYS covered in shadows. It NEVER gets sunlight.
[QUOTE=CanibalMonke;17361544]You obviously didn't read the article. This crater is ALWAYS covered in shadows. It NEVER gets sunlight.[/QUOTE]
His point was that the moon does in fact get sunlight on all sides, as does pluto. Therefore disproving the person he quoted. Good job with those reading skills you got there.
[QUOTE=CanibalMonke;17361544]You obviously didn't read the article. This crater is ALWAYS covered in shadows. It NEVER gets sunlight.[/QUOTE]
Kay read what I replied to:
"You do realize that Pluto rotates and gets sunlight on both sides, right? Right?
Mean while, craters on the moon may never get sunlight."
The moon rotates and gets sunlight on both sides.
There could be a similar crater on a planet that is further that also gets no sunlight.
[QUOTE=Wayword;17361570]
There could be a similar crater on a planet that is further that also gets no sunlight.[/QUOTE]
Until we find it, the Moon has the coldest.
[QUOTE=CanibalMonke;17361610]Until we find it, the Moon has the coldest.[/QUOTE]
No. Until we have the means to detect colder temperatures, we can't verify that statement. You're doing it wrong.
[QUOTE=CanibalMonke;17361610]Until we find it, the Moon has the coldest.[/QUOTE]
That's the point.
Until we find it.
"Home to the Coldest Temperatures in our Solar System" until we go explore new planets.
Just because we can't prove something, doesn't mean it can't exist.
Just because I don't know the geographical location of an underwater pipeline, doesn't mean it doesn't exist, for example.
I thought the near-absolute vacuum of space was just a few degrees away from absolute zero.
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