Would the dark side of the Moon be a good place to set up a telescope?

Question

I figure that the constant darkness and lack of light pollution would make the Moon an ideal spot for a large telescope, what do you think?

Would a telescope the size of the Palomar Observatory be a good size for the Moon?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palomar_Observatory

Answer 1

actually despite popular belief the darkside of the moon is only dark for 14 days... the moon has days and nights... each full day is 28 days, so the night lasts 14 days.

The dark side of the moon refers to the side we can not see.

The moon would be a good place for a telescope because there is no atmosphere on the moon to make the image fuzzy (reason for hubble space telescope). The "dark" side would also be good because the earth would not be in the way.

The main problem would be the communication to the earth... becasue it is on the other side of the moon then satelites would need to orbit the moon in order for a signal to be transmitted from the far side to the earth... signals can not travel through the moon.

Answer 2

no but do it any way

  

Answer 3

The far side of the Moon isn't actually in constant darkness because it has 2 weeks of sunlight every month, but anywhere on the Moon would still be a good place to set up a large optical telescope with guaranteed clear skies. Also, in 1/6th gravity, larger mirrors would be possible with fewer mechanical stress limitations compared with equivalent constructions on Earth.

The far side of the Moon would be even more ideal for a radio telescope, permanently shielded from interference by man-made radio signals

Answer 4

since the dark side of the moon only exists in the minds of scintific illiterates, it would be very difficult to place a telesscope of any size there.

the sun rises and sets at all locations on the moon. this is basic scince. get over it.

Answer 5

The dark side of the moon is not actually always dark. It is just the side that never faces Earth. But you are right. Since the Moon has no atmosphere and the contant radio transmissions on Earth wouldn't affect it the dark side of the Moon is prime real estate for radio telescopes.

The bigger the better, but shipping all the stuff for a large telescope to the moon and constructing it would cost a billion arms and legs.

Answer 6

Yes, it has always been a ideal region for observatories. Arthur C Clarke already mentioned such bases in his novels.

Of course, not because it is dark in the literal sense. But for 2 weeks every month, the side is shielded not only from Earths radiation, but also the sun, making it ideal for radio telescopes.

Also, for optical telescopes it is ideal as it has no atmosphere disturbing it.

Answer 7

Despite what Pink Floyd says, the entire surface of the moon receives light at some point in its orbit. We just can't always see the lit area.

Answer 8

"there is no dark side of the moon, as a matter of fact it's all dark"  -Pink Floyd.

Maybe you mean the far side?

If so then yes, it would be a great place for a telescope.  While you still have day/night cycles, you will never have the earth's reflected light to wash out the dark sky.  Moon light really kills the ability to see deep sky stuff, here on earth.  Also there is no significant atmosphere to blur images.  Also a radio telescope would benefit from the moon effectively blocking radio noise which comes from earth.  Wavelengths which are used for television or radio broadcasts, on earth could be explored without the overwhelming "noise" which currently prevents it.

Answer 9

Well, the only real problem with that is that the "dark side of the moon" is always moving.

You see, the FAR side of the Moon, the one we can't see from Earth, undergoes exactly the same phases as the visible side of the Moon, offset by two weeks.  So when we see a new moon, or the early or late crescents, the far side of the moon is bathed in sunlight, and would be pretty much useless for optical astronomy.  During the full moon, however, a lunar observatory would have a spectacular view, and would have the added benefit of being shielded from spurious, interfering emissions from Earth.

Answer 10

The Moon would be an excellent place to set up a telescope.

There is not constant darkness on the far side of the Moon, but the thing that makes visible observations impossible during daytime on Earth is the diffraction of sunlight in our atmosphere. On the Moon there is no atmosphere, and no diffraction. As long as you can shield your optical equipment from the incoming sunlight, you could still make optical observations in daylight.

And other types of astronomy can be done any time of day or night.

The far side of the Moon is especially useful for radio frequency observations, because the noise from Earth would be blocked out by the Moon.

Any size telescope is going to do better in space or on the Moon than on Earth.

Answer 11

I don't have the knowledge to speculate about specific sizes byt YES, I've read of some serious thought about this and I'm excited by it too.

It always seems like a great idea to use naturally occuring aspects of nature to further our knowledge about it.

This does not address your specific query but it's related in spirit and facinates me. We are already doing something like what you suggest with some pretty amazing results! Of course, it's not possible at the moment to actually implement it but I've heard at least one PHD "dream" of using Jupiters huge gravity to make a solar system size scope. Not as good as those "Galaxy" giants but closer and more feasible to operate.

And this "natural lens" would not be subject to permanent damage from any conditions of space. All we would need would be to maintain an eyepiece and keep it positioned relative to the "lens".

".....Today, astrophysicists are using "gravitational telescopes" to make very faint objects in the farthest reaches of the visible universe appear brighter, so they can be more easily studied.

The unlikely source of these "gravitational telescopes" is Einstein's theory of general relativity. Gravity isn't so much a force, Einstein reasoned, as a curvature n the fabric of space-time caused by the presence of mass (or energy). Light also follows that curvature, a prediction that was spectacularly confirmed in May 1919 during a solar eclipse. Two separate scientific expeditions -- one on an island off west Africa, the other in Brazil -- photographed stars near the eclipsed sun and found that their light was deflected, just as Einstein had predicted.

The warping of space-time can also give rise to a kind of "mirage" effect, known as gravitational lensing. When two galaxies line up precisely in the sky, one right behind the other, the gravitational field of the nearer galaxy will distort the image of the more distant galaxy. It's a little different from a conventional lens, in that the most bending of light occurs closest to the center of a gravitational lens; in a regular telescopic lens, the greatest bending occurs furthest from the center."

http://blogs.discovery.com/twisted_physi...

More:

http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/html/...

Answer 12

the 'dark side' gets sunlight, too.... it's not 'constant darkness' over there.... remember, when we are 'seeing' the new moon, or the crescent moon, it's the 'dark side' that is lit up, since the other side is the one that always faces us.....

Answer 13

setting up a telescope does not make much sense in relation to place one somewhere else in space.

there are two major reasons

1. the cost .. you need to land it there in one piece which might harms the equipment for knowing that its a shaky landing.

2. once erected there you are always in danger that statistically more meteorites impact there (attracted by the moons gravitation). Those meteors could stir up dust rendering the optics useless.

sooo .. it's  a nice idea, but .. no

Answer 14

There is no dark side of the moon. We only see one side ,but from time every side of the moon gets light.  

Answer 15

wouldnt you freeze?

Answer 16

Hey Hellbent -

There is no dark side to the Moon. Only a near side and a far side. We cannot see the far side, since it is always tidally locked facing away from us. But the far side of the Moon gets full sunlight once a month, just like the near side. When it's getting sunlight, we are seeing a new moon or a thin crescent.

That being said, any location on the Moon would be an excellent location for an observatory. You could build a scope much bigger than the Hubble, but it would have the Hubble benefits of being free from the atmosphere.

Answer 17

Not only does the far side of the Moon get sunlight, it gets two weeks of it.  That means half of each month when you couldn't make many observations.  And the Moon takes a month to turn, taking that long to bring each desired portion of the sky into prime viewing position.

The radio telescope idea, of course, is a great one.