Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

The gnomon was a gimbaled rod mounted on a tripod so that the rod was free to point vertically. When deployed on the lunar surface, the shadow cast by the staff indicated sun angle and, therefore, direction. The rod length and the painted scale provided a reference for estimating the sizes of nearby objects. Shades of gray on the rod ranged in reflectivity from 5% to 35% and a color scale enabled more accurate determination of rock and soil colors by comparison. The gnomon configuration was a little different for each Apollo flight. This particular gnomon is similar to the one used on one of the later missions (Apollo 15, 16, or 17) because it has a gray and color scale mounted to one of the tripod legs. The gnomons used on the lunar surface were not returned to Earth.

This object was transferred from NASA to the Smithsonian in 1974.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type EQUIPMENT-Photographic Manufacturer NASA, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
 Dimensions 3-D: 2.5 × 1.3 × 2.5cm (1 × 1/2 × 1 in.)
 Materials Plastic
 Inventory Number A19750046001 Credit Line Transferred from NASA Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.