• Map view of the south pole region of the Moon, where some areas are determined to be completely unlit by the Sun.
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    Where the Sun Never Shines
    Because the Moon's axis is tilted only slightly, the angle of the Sun's rays does not change much, so the Moon has no seasons. These maps of the north (this slide) and south (next slide) poles, where the sunlight angle is lowest, were created from thousands of images taken throughout a lunar year. They show what percent of a year each area of the map is sunlit. Low areas in permanent shadow appear black, while some peaks on nearby crater rims are sunlit most of the time. These areas of permanent shadow are very cold and may be where water ice has collected.

    Camera: NAC

  • Map view of the south pole region of the Moon, where some areas are determined to be completely unlit by the Sun.

ID#:

WEB15289-2016

Source:

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

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NASA/GSFC/ Arizona State University

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