I've heard that the moon is made of green cheese, but from the looks of this new map released by NASA, I'd say the moon is made of rainbow sherbet. Who knew?
A New Map of the Moon
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter science team released the highest resolution near-global topographic map of the moon ever created. This new topographic map shows the surface shape and features over nearly the entire moon with a pixel scale close to 328 feet.
Although the moon is Earth's closest neighbor, knowledge of its morphology is still limited. Due to the limitations of previous missions, a global map of the moon’s topography at high resolution has not existed until now. With LRO's Wide Angle Camera and the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument, scientists can now accurately portray the shape of the entire moon at high resolution.
Here are some moon books to occupy you and your kids during the daylight hours:
Asch, Frank. Happy Birthday, Moon. [JP ASC] When a bear discovers that the Moon shares his birthday, he buys the Moon a beautiful hat as a present.
Cazet, Denys. Minnie and Moo Go to the Moon. [E CAZ] Two cow friends, Minnie and Moo, decide to drive the farmer's tractor all the way to the moon.
Goldburg, Myra. Catching the Moon. [JP GOL] Using a mouse as bait instead of a worm, an old woman fishes all night long, confusing the fishermen as well as the Man in the Moon.
McCarty, Peter. Moon Plane. [JP MCC] A young boy looks at a plane in the sky and imagines flying one all the way to the moon.
Schaefer, Carole Lexa. Full Moon Barnyard Dance. [JP SCH] A beautiful night and a full moon inspire the barnyard animals to hold a dance by the pond, where the arrival of some clouds provides them with an unexpected experience.
Image and caption courtesy NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/DLR/ASU