High-resolution global topographic map of Moon
The science team that oversees the imaging system on board Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has released the highest resolution near-global topographic map of the Moon ever created.
This new topographic map, from Arizona State University in Tempe, shows the surface shape and features over nearly the entire Moon with a pixel scale close to 100 m. A single measure of elevation (one pixel) is about the size of two football fields placed side-by-side.
Although the Moon is our closest neighbour, knowledge of its morphology is still limited. Due to instrumental limitations of previous missions, a global map of the Moon’s topography at high resolution has not existed until now. With the LRO Wide Angle Camera and the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument, scientists can now accurately portray the shape of the entire moon at high resolution.
Image credit: Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center/DLR/ASU
