The Sun's Path at Different Lunar Latitudes

2025: Sunlight and shadow within 10 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2026: Sunlight and shadow within 10 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2027: Sunlight and shadow within 10 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2028: Sunlight and shadow within 10 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. The visualizations on this page simulate the lighting at the South Pole of the Moon in the years 2025 to 2028 at two-hour intervals, a total of 17,532 time steps or frames. The field of view encompasses the area south of 80° south latitude.Global terrain mapping by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's laser altimeter, LOLA, makes it possible to simulate sunlight and shadow on the Moon at any date in the past or future. This will be vital for planning exploration of the lunar South Pole, where the low Sun angle and rugged terrain produce a uniquely challenging lighting environment. Related pages

2023: Sunlight and shadow within 2 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2024: Sunlight and shadow within 2 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2025: Sunlight and shadow within 2 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2026: Sunlight and shadow within 2 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2027: Sunlight and shadow within 2 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2028: Sunlight and shadow within 2 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2029: Sunlight and shadow within 2 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. 2030: Sunlight and shadow within 2 degrees of the lunar South Pole, rendered at two-hour intervals for a year. The visualizations on this page simulate the lighting at the South Pole of the Moon in the years 2023 to 2030 at two-hour intervals, a total of 35,064 time steps or frames. The field of view encompasses the area south of 88° south latitude.Global terrain mapping by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's laser altimeter, LOLA, makes it possible to simulate sunlight and shadow on the Moon at any date in the past or future. This will be vital for planning exploration of the lunar South Pole, where the low Sun angle and rugged terrain produce a uniquely challenging lighting environment. Related pages

This video shows the movement of shadows near the Moon's South Pole, over the course of two lunar days, which is approximately two months on Earth. The visualization was created from data gathered by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.Music Provided by Universal Production Music: “Two Horizons” – Anthony d’AmarioWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. Music Only version (no narration).Music Provided by Universal Production Music: “Two Horizons” – Anthony d’Amario Visualization with icons. No audio. Visualization only (No audio, no icons) At the Moon's North and South Poles, the Sun is never more than 1.5° above or below the horizon. The resulting pattern of daylight and shadows is unlike anywhere else on the Moon — or the Earth. After zooming in on a small lunar highland area near the South Pole, this visualization recreates the illumination conditions there over a period of two lunar days, equal to two months on Earth.This close to the pole, the Sun doesn't rise and set. Instead, as the Moon rotates on its axis, the Sun skims the horizon, traveling a full 360 degrees around the terrain. Mountains as far as 75 miles (120 kilometers) away cast shadows across the landscape. With the Sun at such a low angle, it can never reach the floors of some deep craters. Places the Sun never reaches are known as permanently shadowed regions. They are the locations of some of the coldest spots in the solar system, and because of that, they trap volatile chemicals, including water ice, that would immediately sublimate (transform directly from a solid to a gas) in the harsh, airless sunshine that falls in most other places on the Moon.The Sun appears to travel in a circle at the Earth's poles, too, but it also travels through a range of altitudes. From spring equinox to summer solstice, for example, the Sun is climbing higher in the sky, reaching an altitude of 23.4°. It only hugs the horizon for a few days around the equinoxes. At the Moon's poles, the Sun is always near the horizon, and the shadows are perpetually long, sweeping across the surface with the changing solar azimuth. Related pages