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Cited by 533Planetary Science and ExplorationAstro and Planetary ScienceSpacecraft Design and Technology

The global surface temperatures of the Moon as measured by the diviner lunar radiometer experiment

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Williams, J.-P., Paige, D.A., Greenhagen, B.T., Sefton-Nash, E.·2017·Icarus
DOI 10.1016/j.icarus.2016.08.012
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Abstract

The Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been acquiring solar reflectance and mid-infrared radiance measurements nearly continuously since July of 2009. Diviner is providing the most comprehensive view of how regoliths on airless bodies store and exchange thermal energy with the space environment. Approximately a quarter trillion calibrated radiance measurements of the Moon, acquired over 5.5 years by Diviner, have been compiled into a 0.5° resolution global dataset with a 0.25 h local time resolution. Maps generated with this dataset provide a global perspective of the surface energy balance of the Moon and reveal the complex and extreme nature of the lunar surface thermal environment. Our achievable map resolution, both spatially and temporally, will continue to improve with further data acquisition. Daytime maximum temperatures are sensitive to the albedo of the surface and are ∼387–397 K at the equator, dropping to ∼95 K just before sunrise, though anomalously warm areas characterized by high rock abundances can be > 50 K warmer than the zonal average nighttime temperatures. An asymmetry is observed between the morning and afternoon temperatures due to the thermal inertia of the lunar regolith with the dusk terminator ∼30 K warmer than the dawn terminator at the equator. An increase in albedo with incidence angle is required to explain the observed decrease in temperatures with latitude. At incidence angles exceeding ∼40°, topography and surface roughness influence temperatures resulting in increasing scatter in temperatures and anisothermality between Diviner channels. Nighttime temperatures are sensitive to the thermophysical properties of the regolith. High thermal inertia (TI) materials such as large rocks, remain warmer during the long lunar night and result in anomalously warm nighttime temperatures and anisothermality in the Diviner channels. Anomalous maximum and minimum temperatures are highlighted by subtracting the zonal mean temperatures from maps. Terrains can be characterized as low or high reflectance and low or high TI. Low maximum temperatures result from high reflectance surfaces while low minimum temperatures from low-TI material. Conversely, high maximum temperatures result from dark surface, and high minimum temperatures from high-TI materials. Impact craters are found to modify regolith properties over large distances. The thermal signature of Tycho is asymmetric, consistent with an oblique impact coming from the west. Some prominent crater rays are visible in the thermal data and require material with a higher thermal inertial than nominal regolith. The influence of the formation of the Orientale basin on the regolith properties is observable over a substantial portion of the western hemisphere despite its age (∼3.8 Gyr), and may have contributed to mixing of highland and mare material on the southwest margin of Oceanus Procellarum where the gradient in radiative properties at the mare-highland contact is broad (∼200 km).

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  • One of the primary environmental concerns on the Moon is the extreme temperature gradients, and research on determining the Lunar surface and subsurface temperature has been ongoing.

    “One of the primary environmental concerns on the Moon is the extreme temperature gradients, and research on determining the Lunar surface and subsurface temperature has been ongoing [16-24].”

    From A comprehensive review of lunar-based manufacturing and construction (2024) · cites this paper as [22]

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Authors
Williams, J.-P., Paige, D. A., Greenhagen, B. T., & Sefton-Nash, E.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
  • Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (US)
Corresponding author
Williams, J.-P.
ORCID
Venue
Icarus
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-02
Volume
283
Pages
300-325
ISSN
0019-1035 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.icarus.2016.08.012
OpenAlex
W2516169369
Cited by
533
References
81
Citations by year
2026: 108 · 2025: 94 · 2024: 87 · 2023: 62 · 2022: 47 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2
FWCI
7.64
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Icarus (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Planetary Science and Exploration
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Spacecraft Design and Technology
Keywords
lunar surface temperature, thermal inertia, surface energy balance, solar reflectance, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Diviner Lunar Radiometer, lunar night, impact craters, Tycho crater, Orientale basin, albedo, lunar thermal environment

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