moon as an astronomical base
- Paper number
IAC-08.A3.4.7
- Author
Mr. Yash Kumar, India
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The moon can provide a good base for our astronomical observations. There are many aspects that prove moon to be a good site for astronomy. The first and the foremost thing is its lack of atmosphere. The absence of atmosphere can provide better range and sensitivity for sky watching. One idea can be to set up the liquid mirror telescopes. These telescopes spin to create a parabola at the surface. The absence of atmosphere is in favour of LMT as there will be no wind created by the spinning. Also, due to the lack of atmosphere, the moon is completely free from atmospheric absorptions and distortions. Another thing is that the lack of atmosphere allows the whole electromagnetic spectrum at the surface of moon, which is helpful in observing universe. Moving further, we know that the speed of moon’s rotation on its axis is quite slow, so the visible light observatories could perform observations for days at a time. It is possible to maintain near-constant observations on a specific target with a string of such observatories spanning the circumference of the moon. Next thing comes about the power generation on moon. As the moon’s polar axis is perpendicular to the plain of ecliptic, sunlight is always horizontal at the poles. So, there is a constant sunlight available on the polar hilltops that could be harnessed by using solar voltaic cells to produce electricity. Also the radiators required to eliminate waste heat could be positioned in the areas of continuous darkness where the heat could dissipated into space. Now if we do not have power shortage, we can place infrastructure for astronomical observations on moon. By placing infrastructure, future missions could rely on the already established equipment. However, there is another side of the picture also. On one side there are many advantages of moon, but on the other side there are hurdles to ponder. The major problem is of Lunar Dust. A layer of fine particles covers the lunar bedrock and reaches several feet thick. It can generate dense dust clouds. Lunar Dust is glass like with a core of iron. The main problem is that it just sticks to everything. The ultra tiny dust grains can gum up the vital hardware on moon. Another issue related to lunar dust is the Levitated Dust, which occurs when the sun’s energy cause dust grains to become electrically charged. The surface of the moon gets charged in response to currents incident on its surface, and is exposed to a variety of different charging environments during its orbit around earth. Dust adhesion is likely increased by the angular barbed shapes of lunar dust, and the clinging is possibly due to electrostatic charging. Now the other major problem that restricts the set up of observatories on moon is the frequent meteor shower on the moon the large craters on the moon were formed by the meteors only. As we know that there is no atmosphere on the moon, the meteors can not be burned out. So we conclude that the moon can prove to be an excellent base for astronomy if we can find a solution to the problems like that of lunar dust and meteor shower.- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)