Lunar South Pole

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Lunar south pole

The lunar south pole is the southernmost point on the Moon. It is of interest to scientists because of the occurrence of water ice in permanently shadowed areas around it. The lunar south pole region features craters that are unique in that the near-constant sunlight does not reach their interior. Such craters are cold traps that contain fossil records of hydrogen, water, ice, and other volatiles dating from the early Solar System. In contrast, the lunar north pole region exhibits a much lower quantity of similarly sheltered craters.

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• Lunar south pole - Wikipedia

  The lunar south pole is located on the center of the polar Antarctic Circle (80°S to 90°S). (The axis spin is 88.5 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic.) The lunar south pole has shifted 5.5 degrees from its original position billions of years ago. This shift has changed the rotational axis of the Moon, allowing sunlight to reach previously shadowed areas, but the south pole still features some completely shadowed areas. Conversely, the pole also contains areas with permanent exposure to sunlight. The south pole region features many craters and basins such as the South Pole–Aitken basin, which appears to be one of the most fundamental features of the Moon, and mountains, such as Epsilon Peak at 9.050 km, taller than any mountain found on Earth. The south pole temperature averages [...] The lunar south pole is the southernmost point on the Moon. It is of interest to scientists because of the occurrence of water ice in permanently shadowed areas around it. The lunar south pole region features craters that are unique in that the near-constant sunlight does not reach their interior. Such craters are cold traps "Cold trap (astronomy)") that contain fossil records of hydrogen, water, ice, and other volatiles dating from the early Solar System. In contrast, the lunar north pole region exhibits a much lower quantity of similarly sheltered craters. ## Geography [edit] [...] The lunar south pole is a place where scientists may be able to perform unique astronomical observations of radio waves under 30 MHz. The Chinese Longjiang microsatellites were launched in May 2018 to orbit the Moon, and Longjiang-2 operated in this frequency until 31 July 2019. Before Longjiang-2, no space observatory had observed astronomical radio waves in this frequency because of interference waves from equipment on Earth. The lunar south pole has mountains and basins, such as the south side of Malapert Mountain, that do not face Earth and would be ideal to receive such astronomical radio signals from a ground radio observatory. ### Resources [edit] Main article: Lunar resources Lunar surface chemical composition

• The Lunar South Pole Region - NASA

  But the lunar South Pole region is also a place of extremes. At the lunar South Pole, the Sun stays within about 1.5 degrees of the horizon, creating a striking landscape of light and shadow. Across the region, some areas receive extended periods of sunlight, while others remain in deep, persistent shadow. Temperatures can vary significantly from place to place, and the landscape is rugged, heavily cratered, and covered in abrasive lunar dust. These conditions create real challenges for astronauts, spacecraft, and surface systems. [...] article 7 months ago # The Lunar South Pole Region The Lunar South Pole region is an environment of extremes that offers unique opportunities for scientific discovery, exploration, and an enduring human presence. Encyclopedia Updated Sep 24, 2026 Captured by the Artemis II crew, the heavily cratered eastern edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin — the Moon’s oldest and largest impact basin — offers a glimpse into billions of years of lunar geologic history. NASA ## Contents Overview Light and Shadow Water Ice and Other Frozen Materials Rugged Terrain Lunar Dust Learning to Live and Work on the Moon ## Overview [...] NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio The lunar South Pole has a dramatically different lighting and thermal environment than the equatorial regions explored during Apollo. Near the pole, the Sun stays low on the horizon, creating a striking landscape of light and shadow. Depending on elevation and surrounding terrain, some areas can receive extended periods of sunlight, while others remain in shadow for long periods. In permanently shadowed regions, sunlight may never reach the surface at all.

• ESA - Exploring the lunar South Pole

  Measurements made by Lunar Lander on the surface will confirm measurements made from orbit. The complex interaction of radiation, illumination, plasma and dust found at the poles will allow Lunar Lander to work as a laboratory for dust plasma physics, providing insight into fundamental processes on all airless bodies such as the Moon, Mercury and asteroids. Understanding the dusty environment and its effects is important for future exploration missions. The South Pole is at the edge of the Aitken basin, the largest impact basin in the Solar System. The surface here is made of material from deep within the lunar crust and mantle. Probing these materials could provide insights into planetary formation and reveal its potential for utilisation as a resource for future missions. [...] ESA title ESA logo Science & Exploration # Exploring the lunar South Pole 22273 views 62 likes ESA / Science & Exploration / Human and Robotic Exploration / Lunar Lander This page has been archived. See our Argonaut page for more information on Europe's lunar lander programme. Lunar Lander will touch down near the Moon’s South Pole. There are several reasons for choosing to land in this location. The South Pole has been identified as a possible future location for a human outpost and the poles are the new frontiers for lunar exploration missions.

• Moon's South Pole is Full of Mystery, Science, Intrigue - NASA

  ### Lighting and Terrain ​At the lunar South Pole, the Sun hovers below or just above the horizon, creating temperatures upwards of 130°F (54°C) during sunlit periods. Even during these periods of illumination, soaring mountains cast dark shadows and deep craters protect perpetual darkness in their abysses. Some of these craters are home to permanently shadowed regions that haven’t seen sunlight in billions of years and experience temperatures as low as -334°F (-203°C). Even using advanced sensors, the combination of terrain and lighting conditions will make it difficult to tell what the ground looks like from a vehicle descending to the lunar South Pole, and some systems may be vulnerable to rising and plummeting temperatures.

• NASA SVS | The Moon's South Pole

  The Moon's permanently shadowed regions, or PSRs, are places on the Moon that haven't seen the Sun in millions, or even billions, of years. The Earth's tilted axis allows sunlight to fall everywhere on its surface, even at the poles, for at least part of the year. But the Moon's tilt relative to the Sun is only 1.6°, not enough to get sunlight into some deep craters near the lunar north and south poles. PSRs are therefore some of the coldest, darkest places in the solar system.Because of that, PSRs are expected to be excellent traps for volatiles, chemicals that would normally vaporize and escape into space, and this includes water. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) includes several instruments designed to peer into the PSR darkness and measure temperature, reflectivity, and neutron [...] # The Moon's South Pole Released Friday, May 10th, 2019 Updated Thursday, September 15th, 2022 at 12:00AM ID: 40372 ## Overview This is a collection of the media resources available on the Scientific Visualization Studio website related to the south pole of the Moon, an area of special interest for future exploration. It has been studied intensively by every instrument aboard Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). It includes cold, permanently shadowed craters that have collected water and other volatiles and shielded them from the Sun. Its rugged terrain also offers temperate high spots with persistent sunshine ideal for continuous solar power generation. More information and media are available at [...] A two-ton Atlas Centaur rocket body, part of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), struck the floor of Cabeus crater, near the south pole of the moon, at 11:31 UT on October 9, 2009. The purpose of the crash was to create a plume of debris that could be examined for the presence of water and other chemicals in the lunar regolith. The effects of the impact were captured by sensors onboard a shepherding satellite travelling four minutes behind the Centaur. They were also watched by Earth-based observatories and several Earth-orbiting satellites, including the Hubble Space Telescope.The images here were created in the weeks prior to the impact. They visualize the viewing angle, terrain, and shadows around the target crater at the time of the impact. Astronomers in