Normally, I post photos of the Moon taken through my telescope. Although this is great for seeing the general distribution of large craters and mare across the surface, it isn’t useful for seeing changes that occur on the surface (this isn’t always true, as telescopes can sometimes catch meteor impacts on the surface). In order to catch changes on the Moon’s surface, a much higher resolution camera is needed. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)’s camera is able to achieve the necessary resolution. LRO is a satellite that orbits the Moon in an eccentric polar orbit and is able to capture 0.5 meter/pixel resolution images. This means that, if an astronaut on the surface were to lie down, LRO could resolve that astronaut in a photo.
I recently found an online map of the Moon created by LRO which allows for incredibly high-resolution studies of surface features such as crater ejecta, lava flows, boulder fields, and more. Another remarkable feature is the ability to obtain an elevation plot for any two selected points on the surface. With this tool, it is possible to easily see how deep a rille (channel-like grooves on the surface) is or how high up a crater’s rim is.
As I was using this map, I found a rille that had fascinating tracks down its sides. Since they ended at boulders, I concluded that they are likely boulder tracks, or trails left by boulders as they fall down the sides of the rille.
These features were also seen near the Apollo 17 landing site in Taurus-Littrow Valley. Seeing these tracks, which could be millions of years old, is a reminder that the Moon is a dynamic object that evolves steadily over time and it would be deceiving to see it as a frozen orb in the night sky.
