Shadows on the Moon Today’s Video of the Day from NASA Goddard features sunlight and shadows near the Moon’s South Pole.

The images were captured over the course of two lunar days, which is approximately the equivalent of two months on Earth.

The data for the visualization was obtained by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. Shadows on the Moon are The largest acceptable origin explanation is that the Moon formed about 4.51 billion years ago, not long after Earth, out of the debris from a giant impact between the planet and a hypothesized Mars-sized body called Theia. It also is too wide to orbit because of tidal interaction with the Earth.

Also near the side of the Moon is marked by dark volcanic maria, which fill the spaces between bright ancient crustal highlands and prominent impact craters. Most of the large impact basins and mare surfaces were in place by the end of the Imbrian period, some three billion years ago. The lunar surface is relatively non-reflective, with a reflectance just slightly brighter than that of worn asphalt. However, because it has a large angular diameter, the full moon is the brightest celestial object in the night sky. Also, 59% of the total lunar surface can be seen from Earth through shifts in perspective due to liberation. And the Moon formed about 4.51 billion years ago 

Video Credit: NASA Goddard 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer