Rare Hole in the Moon Photographed
June 26, 2010 3:14 PM Subscribe
New photos of the moon have revealed the most detailed views yet of a rare hole in the lunar surface — a pit large enough to swallow an entire football field whole. "High-resolution cameras aboard the Japanese Kaguya spacecraft first spotted the irregularly shaped chasm, located in Mare Ingenii on the moon's southern hemisphere. Now, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken a new, up-close photo of the moon pit from lunar orbit."
Does this prove that the moon is actually made of cheese...possibly swiss?
posted by Fizz at 3:19 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by Fizz at 3:19 PM on June 26, 2010
Maybe this is the explanation. From this 1902 film.
posted by chavenet at 3:23 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by chavenet at 3:23 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
No photos yet of the revolting onion men dwelling within.
posted by griphus at 3:27 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by griphus at 3:27 PM on June 26, 2010
The moon is an innie. My existence has become marginally more justified.
posted by dubusadus at 3:29 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by dubusadus at 3:29 PM on June 26, 2010
Which will we see first: OM NOM NOM moon or Goatse moon?
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 3:37 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 3:37 PM on June 26, 2010
In related news: 7th-Graders Discover Mysterious Cave on Mars.
posted by ericb at 3:40 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by ericb at 3:40 PM on June 26, 2010
This is no cave!
posted by gruchall at 3:42 PM on June 26, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by gruchall at 3:42 PM on June 26, 2010 [5 favorites]
Looks like Guatemala...
posted by wierdo at 3:44 PM on June 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by wierdo at 3:44 PM on June 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
Moonpit moonpit moonpit!
posted by jessamyn at 3:46 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn at 3:46 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Hello up there?
posted by not_on_display at 3:54 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by not_on_display at 3:54 PM on June 26, 2010
The moon is an innie.
Try as I might to see this properly, it's still looks like an outie to me.
posted by heyho at 4:07 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Try as I might to see this properly, it's still looks like an outie to me.
posted by heyho at 4:07 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Looks malignant to me; sorry moon.
posted by rongorongo at 4:19 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by rongorongo at 4:19 PM on June 26, 2010
It looks like the terrain around the hole is sloped downward towards it, and I bet there's a lot of crumbly rock on the edge there, ready to give way. Even in sixteen percent gravity that would still be a dangerous area to explore. It would be really easy to lose your balance, or maybe the ground would give way beneath you, then it'd be a slow motion fall onto all those sharp rocks and boulders below.
posted by Kevin Street at 4:23 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by Kevin Street at 4:23 PM on June 26, 2010
This is obviously from when Obama bombed the moon in a mad attempt to destroy it.
posted by Astro Zombie at 4:23 PM on June 26, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Astro Zombie at 4:23 PM on June 26, 2010 [3 favorites]
Is this perhaps from the BOMB that we sent up there a while back?
Oh, sorry Astro, you are definitely the expert here!
posted by SLC Mom at 4:28 PM on June 26, 2010
Oh, sorry Astro, you are definitely the expert here!
posted by SLC Mom at 4:28 PM on June 26, 2010
In other news, NASA's Football Field Lander Project has been suspended indefinitely, for fear of the risk of complete lunar swallowment. Researchers are still continuing with the Ballpark Probe although there is growing concern that the device could present a choking hazard.
posted by eykal at 4:31 PM on June 26, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by eykal at 4:31 PM on June 26, 2010 [4 favorites]
You can put your weed in there.
posted by bondcliff at 4:32 PM on June 26, 2010 [7 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 4:32 PM on June 26, 2010 [7 favorites]
Cool, I had no idea we had space slugs in our solar system.
posted by homunculus at 4:33 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by homunculus at 4:33 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
There is no moon cabal.
posted by localhuman at 4:34 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by localhuman at 4:34 PM on June 26, 2010
Funny how Tom Hanks didn't mention any "hole" when Apollo 13 landed on the moon.
posted by panboi at 4:38 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by panboi at 4:38 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Any shiny black monoliths turn-up yet, or do we still have to dig for them?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 4:41 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by ZenMasterThis at 4:41 PM on June 26, 2010
This is no cave!
Cool, I had no idea we had space slugs in our solar system.
That cave is probably full of mynocks.
...aaaand done.
posted by griphus at 4:41 PM on June 26, 2010
Cool, I had no idea we had space slugs in our solar system.
That cave is probably full of mynocks.
...aaaand done.
posted by griphus at 4:41 PM on June 26, 2010
Mark my words; if the monolith is anywhere, it's in that hole.
posted by i_have_a_computer at 4:44 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by i_have_a_computer at 4:44 PM on June 26, 2010
I learned in summer camp that all moons have a hole.
posted by jeremy b at 4:47 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jeremy b at 4:47 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
Any shiny black monoliths turn-up yet, or do we still have to dig for them?
See, due to a problem I always have viewing these sorts of images, that looks like a massive black monolith rising from the moon to me. My brain can't be convinced that the light isn't coming from the left!
posted by Jimbob at 4:51 PM on June 26, 2010
See, due to a problem I always have viewing these sorts of images, that looks like a massive black monolith rising from the moon to me. My brain can't be convinced that the light isn't coming from the left!
posted by Jimbob at 4:51 PM on June 26, 2010
In other news, NASA's Football Field Lander Project has been suspended indefinitely, for fear of the risk of complete lunar swallowment. Researchers are still continuing with the Ballpark Probe although there is growing concern that the device could present a choking hazard.
In a related story, Belgium has abandoned their space program entirely.
posted by brundlefly at 4:56 PM on June 26, 2010
In a related story, Belgium has abandoned their space program entirely.
posted by brundlefly at 4:56 PM on June 26, 2010
eeeeeeeeEEEEEEEeeuuuuueeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEeEEEeeeeeuuuuueuuueueeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuuuEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe
posted by Avenger at 5:02 PM on June 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Avenger at 5:02 PM on June 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
Of all the conspiracy theories I've heard, my favorite—in part because of how many people apparently believe it—is that for decades, the US and aliens have been running a secret mining operation on the moon. These photos are unlikely to dispel that theory. So I like them.
posted by cribcage at 5:34 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by cribcage at 5:34 PM on June 26, 2010
Mining for what, cribcage?
posted by brundlefly at 5:53 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by brundlefly at 5:53 PM on June 26, 2010
HYDROGEN 4 AND SPACE GOLD SHEEPLE
posted by cmoj at 6:26 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by cmoj at 6:26 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Mining for what" barely begins to scratch the surface. (So to speak.)
posted by cribcage at 6:42 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by cribcage at 6:42 PM on June 26, 2010
Drill baby drill.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:51 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:51 PM on June 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
I don't really understand why this sort of thing is news. I mean, we're a planet; we've got one of those. They're a planet, why wouldn't they?
Surely it would be vastly more unexpected if the moon were in fact a perfect, unblemished sphere. No?
posted by DarlingBri at 7:12 PM on June 26, 2010
Surely it would be vastly more unexpected if the moon were in fact a perfect, unblemished sphere. No?
posted by DarlingBri at 7:12 PM on June 26, 2010
if the moon were in fact a perfect, unblemished sphere. No?
The moon is in fact a perfect, unblemished sphere...
YES!
The truth 'bout its surface is a LIE, told by who...?
GUESS!
The government wants you to think there's a HOLE!
They're doing experiments at the north POLE!
The moon is in fact an unblemished sphere!
YES!
YES!
YES!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:24 PM on June 26, 2010
The moon is in fact a perfect, unblemished sphere...
YES!
The truth 'bout its surface is a LIE, told by who...?
GUESS!
The government wants you to think there's a HOLE!
They're doing experiments at the north POLE!
The moon is in fact an unblemished sphere!
YES!
YES!
YES!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:24 PM on June 26, 2010
I suggest it be named "The Pit of Dispair".
posted by spock at 7:52 PM on June 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by spock at 7:52 PM on June 26, 2010 [2 favorites]
So this is where they will be playing that three teams soccer game?
posted by cjorgensen at 7:58 PM on June 26, 2010
posted by cjorgensen at 7:58 PM on June 26, 2010
Tetsuo!
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:13 AM on June 27, 2010
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:13 AM on June 27, 2010
Selenites!
posted by Artw at 3:46 PM on June 26 [+] [!]
Mooninites!
posted by kcds at 7:13 AM on June 27, 2010
posted by Artw at 3:46 PM on June 26 [+] [!]
Mooninites!
posted by kcds at 7:13 AM on June 27, 2010
The people of Boston must be alerted! LED attack may be imminent! Return to your homes!
posted by Artw at 10:24 AM on June 27, 2010
posted by Artw at 10:24 AM on June 27, 2010
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posted by chavenet at 3:18 PM on June 26, 2010 [13 favorites]