A new mosaic of the lunar surface reveals the power of two cameras working together in lunar orbit. The mosaic was created with images acquired by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) and ShadowCam, a NASA instrument aboard the Korea Aerospace Exploration Institute spacecraft named Danuri.

LROC can capture detailed images of the lunar surface, but its ability to photograph shadowy parts of the Moon that never receive direct sunlight is limited. ShadowCam is 200 times more photosensitive than LROC and can operate successfully in these extremely low-light conditions, revealing features not visible to LROC.

However, ShadowCam's light sensitivity makes it unable to capture images of directly illuminated parts of the Moon, preventing saturated results. With each camera optimised for the specific lighting conditions found near the lunar poles, analysts can combine images from both devices to reveal unprecedented detail of the Moon's South Pole region.

Image description: An aerial view of the lunar surface in black, white and grey. Shackleton Crater is visible in the lower right of the image. In this mosaic, areas that are constantly in shadow, such as the interior floor and walls of Shackleton Crater, can be seen in such detail thanks to the images from ShadowCam. In contrast, the sunlit areas in this mosaic, such as the rim and sides of the crater, are the product of images collected by LROC.

 

Source: nasa.gov