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Old 06-01-2011, 10:48 AM
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von Tom (Tom)
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Brisbane
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Moon Illuminated

Hi all,

I've been using the Lunar Terminator Visualization Tool (LTVT) and terrain data, overlayed with a colour photo of the ful moon, to provide images depicting a constant illumination angle of 1 degree for each point of the lunar nearside surface. The images are lit from the North, South, Left and Right. The North/South images show shadows that are never possible with the sun, but do show some interesting features.

One thing that stood out for me was the boundary of the Seas of Tranquility and Serenity. On black and white photos there doesn't appear to be much of a physical boundary between the two. On colour photos the boundary is obvious, but what struck me most was when lit from the South, there is definitely a big vertical difference between the two lava fields.

Cheers,
Tom
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