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An Astronaut’s Snapshot of the Moon
About the Object
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.The Moon is 238,857 miles (384,403 kilometers) from the Earth.
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.The Moon has a diameter of 2160 miles (3476 kilometers).
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.These HST data are from proposal 10719. NASA's HST Lunar observation team is led by Chief Scientist J. Garvin. The team includes M. Robinson (Northwestern Univ.), D. Skillman (NASA/GSFC), B. Hapke (Univ. of Pittsburgh), C. Pieters (Brown Univ.), M. Ulmer (Northwestern Univ.), J. Bell (Cornell Univ.), and J. Taylor (Univ. of Hawaii). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.Apollo 17
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.December 1972
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Moon
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Earth's Satellite
- Release DateOctober 19, 2005
- Science ReleaseNASA’s Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources
- Credits
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov