Peak of eternal light

As mountains of eternal light have earlier Selenografen and Selenodäten those moon mountains or high crater rims near the lunar north pole and south pole called, their points are almost always in the sunlight.

At the South Pole they are partially identical with the Leibniz mountains, but also include some distant mountain ranges "behind" the great craters Manzinus and Moretus it. At the North Pole there are crater rims and peaks in the area of ​​lunar crater Byrd, Peary, Nansen and Hermite.

Striking the mountains of eternal light are especially at narrow crescent moon, where they appear even in small telescopes as bright points beyond the shadow boundary ( Terminator ), so to stand out clearly from the still dark environment.

With medium-sized telescopes (such as the eight- inch model ) are already single crater or mountain peaks to identify. In these regions, astronomers are planning for some time to build a unmolested by earthly stray light and radio traffic observatory. At best it would be on the edge of the moon back, but that would take place the telemetry on lunar satellite. As an energy source itself provides to the solar energy.

The valleys between the side -lit heights are constantly in the shadow, which also promises interesting insights. Between 1996 and 1999 radar and spectrometer measurements of lunar probes Clementine and Lunar Prospector were able to prove the existence of water ice at both poles. Presumably, the ice in the regolith of the lunar surface is included, but could be a small ice lenses in about 50 cm depth. Both possibilities would be for the space of great interest.