Best Lunar
The Apollo 11 lunar samples were rocks and soil collected by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin at Tranquility Base in July 1969. They were the first geological material deliberately gathered on another celestial body and returned to Earth for laboratory analysis. The collection includes volcanic basalt...
A fragment of lunar rock retrieved by astronauts during the Apollo 11 mission offers a tangible connection to humanity’s first steps on the Moon. Collected in July 1969, this basalt sample is one of the earliest materials brought back from another celestial body. It's now part of the Smithsonian col...
The Apollo 15 mission, launched in July 1971, represents a significant chapter in lunar exploration. NASA’s crew conducted extensive geological surveys of the Hadley-Apennine region using the first operational Lunar Roving Vehicle. This allowed for greater mobility and sample collection than previou...
ALH 81005 is a meteorite found in the Allan Hills region of Antarctica in 1982 and subsequently identified as material ejected from the Moon. It is an anorthositic regolith breccia composed of fragments derived largely from the lunar highlands, mixed and consolidated by impacts. Its recognition as t...
The Apollo 16 mission, launched in 1972, represents NASA’s second crewed landing on the Moon. It focused exploration of the Descartes region highlands. Astronauts utilized a mobile laboratory, or rover, to investigate unique lunar rock formations and geological processes. This mission provided valua...
The Apollo 8 mission involved a three-man NASA crew – Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders – undertaking the first crewed flight to orbit around the Moon. Launched in December 1968, this pivotal space exploration provided invaluable data regarding lunar conditions and significantly advance...
The Apollo 12 mission represents a significant achievement in space exploration. Launched in November 1969, it was NASA’s second crewed lunar landing. The mission is particularly recognized for its controlled descent and touchdown near the Surveyor 3 robotic probe within Oceanus Procellarum. Astrona...
The Apollo 17 mission represents NASA’s concluding journey to the Moon within the Apollo program. Launched in December 1972, it featured geologist Harrison Schmitt as a crew member – he was the last person to walk on the lunar surface. This mission provided valuable data regarding the Moon's geology...
The Apollo 10 mission involved a crewed spacecraft that served as a critical test flight preceding the first human Moon landing. Launched in 1969, it brought the command module and lunar module within approximately 15 kilometers of the Moon’s surface. This maneuver represented a valuable dress rehea...
Ross Taylor (1925–2021) was an Australian geochemist who made significant contributions to understanding the composition of the Earth, Moon, and solar system. Based at the Australian National University, he was among the first scientists to analyze lunar rock samples brought back by the NASA Apollo...
The SELENE mission, formerly known as Kaguya, is a Japanese space exploration project operated by JAXA. It deployed an orbiter to map the Moon in unprecedented detail. The mission’s high-resolution imagery and video data significantly advanced our understanding of lunar geology and surface features....
The RedCat 51 is a highly regarded, compact apochromatic refractor known for its exceptional portability without sacrificing optical quality. It utilizes advanced lens elements to minimize chromatic aberration, delivering tack-sharp images ideal for planets and the Moon. Its fast focal ratio makes i...
The Apollo 14 mission, launched in January 1971, represents a significant achievement in American space exploration. Astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell conducted extensive surface operations on the Moon’s Fra Mauro formation. This landing provided valuable geological data and deployed severa...
The Luna 21 mission involved the Soviet Union’s deployment of Lunokhod 2, a robotic lunar rover, onto the Moon in 1973. This was the second successful operation of a remote-controlled vehicle on another celestial body. The mission provided valuable data regarding lunar surface conditions and mobilit...
Kaguya, officially named SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer), was a Japanese lunar orbiter launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on September 14, 2007. The spacecraft carried 14 scientific instruments to study the Moon's surface, gravity field, and electromagnetic env...
The LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation & Sensing Satellite) mission involved launching a probe to crash into the Cabeus crater on the Moon’s south pole. This NASA space mission was notable for confirming the presence of water ice within permanently shadowed regions. Scientists utilize this data to und...
Northwest Africa 5000, commonly abbreviated NWA 5000, is a lunar meteorite found in Morocco in 2007. The original stone weighed about 11.5 kilograms and consists of feldspathic breccia, a rock assembled from fragments produced by impacts on the Moon's anorthosite-rich crust. Its lunar origin is esta...
The Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is a lunar spacecraft developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), successfully inserted into lunar orbit in August 2019. While its accompanying Vikram lander experienced a hard landing during descent, the orbiter continues to operate nominally a...
The Lunar Orbiter 1 mission involved a NASA spacecraft launched in 1966. It achieved the distinction of being the first American vehicle to successfully enter lunar orbit. The orbiter conducted extensive photographic mapping of the Moon’s surface, specifically targeting areas considered for potentia...
The Atlas of the Moon by Rükl provides comprehensive selenographic charts detailing the Moon’s features. This detailed reference atlas is invaluable for amateur and professional astronomers, planetary scientists, and anyone seeking accurate visual information about our celestial neighbor. It offers...
Calcalong Creek is a lunar meteorite found in Western Australia and recognized as lunar material in 1990. It is a regolith breccia, meaning that it contains fragments of lunar rocks and minerals compacted from material once exposed near the Moon's surface. Its mixed components preserve evidence of i...
Michael Florent van Langren (1598–1675) was a Flemish cartographer and astronomer who served the Spanish crown. He is recognized for producing early, detailed maps of the Moon's surface. In 1644, he published a diagram plotting the longitudinal distance between Toledo and Rome, which is considered o...
Johannes Hevelius was a 17th-century astronomer and city councilor based in Danzig, now Gdańsk, Poland. He is best known for his pioneering work in selenography, producing highly detailed topographical maps of the Moon's surface which he published in his 1647 work, Selenographia, sive Lunae descript...
Dhofar 008 is a lunar meteorite found in the Dhofar region of Oman in 1999. Laboratory study established that it originated from the Moon, making it part of the limited body of lunar material delivered naturally to Earth by impacts. Its brecciated composition contains fragments produced and mixed by...
Luna 20 was an uncrewed Soviet lunar mission that landed on the Moon and returned a soil sample to Earth in 1972. Its spacecraft collected material from the Apollonius highlands, providing a sample from a geologically different region than the mare terrain sampled by Luna 16. The ascent stage carrie...
Lunar Orbiter 2 was an uncrewed NASA spacecraft launched in 1966 as part of a program to photograph the Moon before the Apollo landings. It returned hundreds of photographs, with emphasis on potential landing areas near the lunar equator, while also gathering tracking data relevant to the Moon's gra...
The XT6 is a highly regarded, workhorse reflector telescope known for its excellent balance of aperture, portability, and cost-effectiveness. Its 6-inch aperture provides ample light-gathering power for detailed views of the Moon and brighter planets. It is robust and straightforward to use, making...
Surveyor 5 was an uncrewed NASA lunar lander and the fifth mission in the Surveyor program. It achieved a soft landing in Mare Tranquillitatis in September 1967, returning surface photographs and engineering information needed for later lunar exploration. Its alpha-scattering instrument measured the...
