Modern Mysteries of the Moon

There are still many questions that remain about the Moon. From concentric craters to lunar swirls, water vapor and lunar reverberations on impact, Foster collects it all for a fascinating tour that will illuminate the backyard observer's understanding of this easily viewed, yet also imperfectly understood, celestial object. Data from Apollo and a flotilla of unmanned Moon orbiters, crashers, and landers have all contributed to our understanding of the Moon, but these mysteries linger despite decades of research.

When Project Apollo brought back lunar rocks and soil samples, it opened a new chapter of understanding Earth's lone natural satellite, a process that continues to this day, as old results are revisited and new techniques are used on existing samples. Topics such as the origin, evolution, structure and composition of the Moon, however, are still under debate.

Lunar research is still an active field of study. New technologies make it possible to continue to learn. But even so, the Moon continues to hold tight to some of its oldest and most cherished secrets. Foster examines many of the most interesting puzzles and what has been revealed by exploring them - as well as what questions remain.

Autorentext
Vince Foster has been an amateur astronomer for over 50 years. He has earned most of the 40+ observing awards offered by the Astronomical League. Foster currently serves as chair of two of these observing programs, which he developed: Hydrogen Alpha Solar Observing Program, and Bright Nebula Observing Program. Before retiring, Foster was a hospital fund raiser and a newspaper reporter.

Zusammenfassung

There are still many questions that remain about the Moon, which this book examines. From concentric craters to lunar swirls, water vapor and lunar reverberations on impact, Foster collects it all for a fascinating tour that will illuminate the backyard observer's understanding of this easily viewed, yet also imperfectly understood, celestial object. Data from Apollo and a flotilla of unmanned Moon orbiters, crashers, and landers have all contributed to our understanding of the Moon, but these mysteries linger despite decades of research.

When Project Apollo brought back lunar rocks and soil samples, it opened a new chapter of understanding Earth's lone natural satellite, a process that continues to this day, as old results are revisited and new techniques are used on existing samples. Topics such as the origin, evolution, structure and composition of the Moon, however, are still under debate.

Lunar research is still an active field of study. New technologies make it possible to continue to learn. But even so, the Moon continues to hold tight to some of its oldest and most cherished secrets. Foster examines many of the most interesting puzzles and what has been revealed by exploring them as well as what questions remain.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Donut Craters.- Lunar Transient Phenomena.- A Hollow Moon?.- The Big Splat.- Problems with Plato.- A Dry World?- Lunar Graffiti.- Lumpy Gravity.- Surprising Radioactivity.- Paved with Glass.- Tale of a Tail.- Volcanoes.- Moonquakes.- Disappearing Magnetic Field.- Two Faced.- Aristarchus Plateau.- Lunar Atmosphere.- Earth's Second Moon.- Laplace's Puzzle.- Future missions to the Moon.- A Younger Moon.- The Key to Colonizing the Moon.- Unlocking the Door to Lunar Mining.- Trouble with Tourism.- Secret to Nuke the Moon.- Index.