Here’s The Exact Point of the Moon’s South Pole

The LRO has been taking pictures of the moon. Scientists have been able to create an incredibly detailed map of the Moon with the help of this data. The exact location of the South Pole can now be pinpointed by NASA.

When humans return to the Moon, a detailed road map will be very helpful. The LRO team has put together an interactive map where you can view and search for different areas on the moon.

The science team adopted a coordinate system for the data called the Mean Earth/Polar axis. This is the standard for mapping lunar data.

There is a visualization showing the location of the Moon. The South Pole of the Moon is marked by a red pin on the rim of Shackleton crater.

The topographical maps from LRO include information from the laser altimeter which measures the ups and downs, nooks and crevices on the lunar surface to an accuracy within four inches.

In my book, "Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos", I was told by LRO's Project Scientist Dr. Richard Vondrak.

Vondrak said that they can provide maps of the Moon that have better grid spacing than the hiking maps at the US National Parks. Most of the Earth's surface lies beneath the ocean and the seafloor is not mapped as well as the Moon.

You can see the amazing images of the Moon captured by the LROC at their website.

The region around the south pole is better seen by LROC as the Moon heads into southern summer. The goal of the LRO mission is to improve our cartographic knowledge of the Moon. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University