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Orthographic projections of the “Unified Geological Map of the Moon” showing the geology of the near (left) and far (right) sides of the Moon with shaded topography of the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA).
(NASA / GSFC / USGS)
Scientists from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with NASA and the Lunar Planetary Institute, have developed the first map of the entire surface of the Moon. The new digital map is known as the “Unified Geological Map of the Moon”. It is the first complete map made at a scale of 1: 50,00,000. The map was recently released by USGS.
The Moon is the only natural satellite on Earth and its formation dates back to about 4.5 billion years ago. The design of such a sharp and comprehensive map is a breakthrough in the field of lunar studies, as it can help scientists better understand the Moon.
During October 2019, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had released very high-resolution space images of the Moon taken from the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. The US space agency NASA also released a visual dataset of the lunar surface that can be used to create a virtual experience of the Moon in games and other multimedia applications at the same time.
According to the scientists involved in mapping the state of the lunar surface, the goal of this project was to create a resource for scientific research, analysis, and to aid extensive future missions to the Moon.
The first digital map of its kind presents the geology of the entire Moon, including the dark and bright spots present on the lunar surface. The official USGS statement said information from six regional Apollo era maps was used to create the digital map, in addition to updated data from recent satellite missions to the Moon.
The statement further added: “Existing historical maps have been redesigned to align with modern data sets, thereby preserving previous observations and interpretations, along with the merging of new and old data.”
The digital map comprises about 43 geological units mapped across the lunar surface. In addition, the units are divided into groups according to the attributes and materials of the craters, basins, terra, plains, imbrio formation, orientation formation and volcanic units. The different colored regions on the map reportedly represent the elevations of the rock types.
Therefore, this new digital map consists of a unified description of everything present on the lunar surface, including the Moon’s rock layers.
In addition to data taken from past Apollo missions, the scientists obtained elevation data for the equatorial region of the Moon from observations made by JAXA’s onboard mission to Terrain camera, Selenological Exploration and Engineering (SELENE ).
Additionally, NASA’s Lunar Orbiter laser altimeter provided data to construct the topography of the Moon’s north and south poles.
“This map is the culmination of a decades-long project,” said Corey Fortezzo, a USGS geologist and lead author in an official press release. “It provides vital information for new scientific studies by connecting exploration of specific sites on the moon with the rest of the lunar surface.” According to space experts, the new map is a model of the lunar surface and will play a vital role in planning future lunar exploration missions.
