AsianScientist (Jun. 25, 2013) – Australian researchers have identified what could be an additional 280 craters on the Moon, using a combination of gravity and terrain modeling.
In their study, published online in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, the researchers developed an ultra-high resolution gravity map of the Moon using computer modelling of satellite-collected gravity and elevation data.
The researchers identified 280 lunar craters that were never mapped before, with 66 of them categorized as being distinctly visible from both a gravity and topographic perspective.
The team of researchers had originally received grants to develop an ultra-high resolution gravity map of Earth but their curiosity led to apply the same computer modelling techniques to the Moon.
“Our curiosity-driven work initially focussed on the identification of two basins on the lunar far side, but was extended during the peer-review process of scientific papers so as to cover the whole Moon,” said Professor Will Featherstone, an author of the study.
“The dark side of the Moon is particularly challenging because Moon-orbiting satellites cannot be tracked from Earth when they are over the far side.”
Professor Featherstone said the team was optimistic about further discoveries after applying their techniques to the new gravity data collected by NASA’s GRAIL mission, which ceased when the two satellites – named Ebb and Flow – were deliberately crashed on the Moon on 17 December 2012.
Beyond the Moon and Earth, the team has also developed an ultra-high resolution gravity map of Mars.
The article can be found at: Featherstone et al. (2013) Band-Limited Bouguer Gravity Identifies New Basins On The Moon.
——
Source: Curtin University of Technology; Photo: Tang Yew Chung.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
