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Radar imaging of the lunar poles

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Long-wavelength measurements reveal a paucity of ice in the Moon's polar craters.

Abstract

We have used a radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, to map features of the lunar poles — some as small as 300 metres across — by collecting long-wavelength radar images that can penetrate several metres of lunar dust. We find that areas of the crater floors at the poles that are in permanent shadow from the Sun, which are potential cold traps for water or other volatiles, do not give rise to strong radar echoes like those associated with thick ice deposits in the polar craters on Mercury. Any lunar ice present within regions visible to the Arecibo radar must therefore be in the form of distributed grains or thin layers.

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Figure 1: Radar images of the lunar south pole collected by the Arecibo radio telescope at a wavelength of 70 cm.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, Smithsonian Institution, Box 37012, Washington, 20013-7012, DC, USA

    Bruce A. Campbell

  2. Cornell University, Space Sciences Building, Ithaca, 14853, New York, USA

    Donald B. Campbell

  3. Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    John F. Chandler

  4. Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box 53995, Arecibo, 00612, Puerto Rico

    Alice A. Hine, Michael C. Nolan & Phillip J. Perillat

Authors
  1. Bruce A. Campbell
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  2. Donald B. Campbell
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  3. John F. Chandler
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  4. Alice A. Hine
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  5. Michael C. Nolan
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  6. Phillip J. Perillat
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruce A. Campbell.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Campbell, B., Campbell, D., Chandler, J. et al. Radar imaging of the lunar poles. Nature 426, 137–138 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/426137a

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