Orbiting 31 miles above the lunar surface, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft will get a "front-row seat" to the total lunar eclipse on Dec. 10, 2011.
LRO's Diviner instrument will record how quickly targeted areas on the moon's day side cool off during the eclipse. The degree of cooling is dependent on factors such as how rocky the surface is, how densely packed the soil is, and its mineral composition. By studying the lunar surface during the eclipse, scientists can learn even more about our nearest celestial neighbor.
Nancy Jones - <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center</a>, Greenbelt, Md.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/dec2011-eclipse.html">LRO Observes Final Lunar Eclipse of the Year</a>