Shadowed Lunar Craters May Be Coldest Spot In the Solar System

sciencehabit writes "Science reports: 'What's the coldest spot in the solar system? For now, that distinction belongs to permanently shadowed craters near the moon's south pole, according to the first results from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft announced today at a NASA press conference. Another instrument has returned hints of water ice in some of these cold spots, ... but it also showed signs of water ice in impossibly hot places, too.'"

Comments

Surprise to me

[Anonymous Coward]

And here I thought it was my exwife.

Really?

[Useful Wheat]

Since nobody is going to read it, the coldest temperature is 33K. The reason they care is because they'll probably find a lot of ice there.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I was of the understanding that space was on the order of 3K due to the cosmic background radiation. 33K is positively warm compared to this.

Re:Really?

[MartinSchou]

Well, there could be some other reasons for wanting to know.

If you build a moon base, you could use these spots for some interesting stuff. Like infra-red observatories, which I think need to have a cold sensor to increase sensitivity.

Additionally 33 Kelvin is low enough that you can use at least one iron based superconductor for energy storage. That way you can have huge arrays of solar panels or similar, and just dump surplus energy into a superconducting magnetic energy storage.

The superconductors would also give you essentially free cooling for particle accelerators, but I've no idea how large those craters are, nor if that'd even be useful.

Re:Really?

[quercus.aeternam]

A look at the energy storage option was very interesting - One side effect is the generation of an extremely large magnetic field:

"The biggest concern with SMES, beyond possible accidents such as a break in the containment of liquid nitrogen, is the very large magnetic fields that would be created by a commercial installation, which would dwarf the magnetic field of the Earth."

If this is the case, even a small installation could be extremely good from a health standpoint, especially in the context of colonization. Though they would still be without the protective effects of the atmosphere, they would probably be protected from a significant amount of radiation.

You mean "Coldest Naturally Occurring Spot"

[Scorpinox]

The coldest spot in the universe would be in Boulder Colorado where they do absolute zero experiments.

[source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/phenom-200801.html ]

Re:You mean "Coldest Naturally Occurring Spot"

[Criliric]

no where on that page does it say that they have made it to absolute zero... infact:

Physicists acknowledge they can never reach the coldest conceivable temperature, known as absolute zero and long ago calculated to be minus 459.67F.

Re:Sterling Engine!

[fiannaFailMan]

Pluto isn't in the solar system anymore.

Of course it bloody is, it just isn't a planet anymore. Or something.

Re:Sterling Engine!

[Cheesetrap]

Pluto isn't in the solar system anymore.

I wouldn't hang around if people were disrespecting me either.

Heinlein knew it

[gmuslera]

The moon is a frigid mistress

Re:Heinlein knew it

[MichaelSmith]

The moon is a frigid mistress

Doesn't sound like Bob Heinlein to have a woman like that in his story. Come to think of it I can't think of one.

Minnesota

[Tablizer]

So, Minnesota got bumped to 2nd?

Re:Sterling Engine!

[CharlyFoxtrot]

What about the crevasse on uranus ? (Come on *someone* had to.)

obligatory #37

[Tablizer]

But the sun don't shine in Uranus either