Observatories on the moon

Details Observatories on the moon Observatories on the moon

Mar 1990

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990sciam.262...42b&link_type=abstract

Scientific American (ISSN 0036-8733), vol. 262, March 1990, p. 42-49.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

19

Astronomical Observatories, Lunar Bases, Moon, Universe, Dipole Antennas, Radio Interferometers, Radio Telescopes, Moon, Space, Utilization, Astronomy, Science Aspects, Diagrams, Design, Technical Aspects, Interferometry, Radio Astronomy, Atmosphere, Cooling, Polar Regions, Wavelengths, Infrared, Resources, Construction, Stability, Lunar Bases, Temperature, Telescope Methods, Visible Light, Gravity Waves, Equipment, Gamma Rays, Radio Waves, Frequencies, Radiation, Neutrinos

Scientific paper

It is suggested that the moon could be a haven for astronomy with observatories on its surface yielding extraordinarily detailed views of the heavens and open new windows to study the universe. The near absence of an atmosphere, the seismic stability of its surface, the low levels of interference from light and radio waves and the abundance of raw materials make the moon an ideal site for constructing advanced astronomical observatories. Due to increased interest in the U.S. in the moon as a scientific platform, planning has begun for a permanent lunar base and for astronomical observatories that might be built on the moon in the 21st century. Three specific projects are discussed: (1) the Very Low Frequency Array (VLFA), which would consist of about 200 dipole antennas, each resembling a TV reception antenna about one meter in length; (2) the Lunar Optical-UV-IR Synthesis Array (LOUISA), which will improve on the resolution of the largest ground-based telescope by a factor of 100,000; and (3) a moon-earth radio interferometer, which would have a resolution of about one-hundredth-thousandth of an arc second at a frequency of 10 GHz.

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