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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.'"

7 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Surprise to me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    And here I thought it was my exwife.

  2. Re:Really? by MartinSchou · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

  3. You mean "Coldest Naturally Occurring Spot" by Scorpinox · · Score: 4, Informative

    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 ]

    1. Re:You mean "Coldest Naturally Occurring Spot" by Criliric · · Score: 4, Informative
      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.

  4. Re:Sterling Engine! by Cheesetrap · · Score: 4, Funny

    Pluto isn't in the solar system anymore.

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

  5. Minnesota by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    So, Minnesota got bumped to 2nd?

  6. Re:Sterling Engine! by CharlyFoxtrot · · Score: 4, Funny

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

    --
    If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.