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Microwave Map of Entire Moon Revealed

Zothecula writes "The first complete microwave image of the Moon taken by Chinese lunar satellite Chang'E-1 has been revealed. Chang'E-1 is China's first scientific mission to explore planetary bodies beyond Earth and the on-board Lunar Microwave Radiometer has made it possible for the first time to globally map the Moon in microwave frequencies. Radar observations of the Moon are unable to provide thermal information, and microwave observations taken from Earth cannot reach the far side of the moon. So Chang'E-1's (CE-1) orbit was conducted at an altitude of 200km (124 miles) and allowed it to observe every location of the moon with a nadir view and at high spatial resolution."

3 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Nuke the earth? by camperdave · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Radar uses microwaves. The heating up food part was discovered by accident at a radar post. That's why early models were called Radarange. All this is is a radar map of the moon.

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  2. Re:Grain of Salt by atamido · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    It puts them about 50 years behind the US and the Russians in extraterrestrial exploration.

    I don't see why it's at all fishy.

    It's not a technically difficult feat, but it is still extremely difficult to do. The Chinese (as a country) have a strong history of lying about research (and other stuff) to try and make themselves look better. This is all certainly possible, but I wouldn't put any money on it until after it's been peer reviewed.

  3. Re:Grain of Salt by Midnight's+Shadow · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Oh yea. The Liberals go to all the trouble of painting a moon up in the sky every night just to fuck with my head. They even moving it during the night and changing the shape nightly. /sarcasm

    What I am saying is that Chinese universities have a tendency of fostering academic misconduct in an attempt to compete with the western world's research. The fact that the people who claim to have taken this picture doesn't seem to have any publications lined up makes me wonder about the authenticity of the work. Now maybe they do and it just wasn't reported but regardless between the pictures themselves, the fact they are out of China and no mention of publication I will take this with a large grain of salt.

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    "God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. " -Voltaire