A new image of the moon’s north pole was released this week by space agency NASA.
The photo covers the north pole of the moon from 60 to 90 degrees north latitude.
In addition, it is available as an interactive mosaic on this page on NASA’s website.
Scientists used cameras aboard the agency’s Lunar Reconnaissance Object to create the largest high resolution mosaic of the region.
The area is equal to more than one-quarter of the United State.
10,581 pictures were used in the mosaic.
“This unique image is a tremendous resource for scientists and the public alike,” said John Keller, LRO project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, in a statement. “It’s the latest example of the exciting insights and data products LRO has been providing for nearly five years.”
“Creation of this giant mosaic took four years and a huge team effort across the LRO project,” said Mark Robinson, principal investigator for the LROC at Arizona State University in Tempe, also in a statement. “We now have a nearly uniform map to unravel key science questions and find the best landing spots for future exploration.”
