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Oblique view of Shackleton Crater near the Moon’s South Pole. The visualization combines grayscale imagery of the cratered lunar surface with rainbow-colored elevation data layered across parts of the terrain. Deep shadows fill the crater interiors, while the brightly lit crater rims and surrounding rugged landscape stretch into the distance.

Shackleton Crater at the Lunar South Pole

This computer-generated visualization depicts Shackleton Crater near the Moon’s South Pole. The crater is approximately 21 kilometers wide and 4 kilometers deep, with a permanently shadowed interior that may contain water ice and other frozen volatiles. Data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) helped reveal surface features within the crater, including boulders and low hills formed by material that slid down the crater walls.

Image Credit: NASA
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Image CreditNASA
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