Page 117 - Lunacy and the Age of Deception

Moon Temperatures

Temperatures on the Moon are extreme, ranging from boiling hot to freezing cold depending on
where the sun is shining. There is no significant atmosphere on the Moon, so it cannot trap heat or
insulate the surface.

The Moon rotates on its axis in about 27 days. Daytime on one side of the Moon lasts about 13 and
a half days, followed by 13 and a half [days] of darkness. When sunlight hits the Moon's surface,
the temperature can reach 253 degrees F (123 C). The "dark side of the Moon" can have
temperatures dipping to minus 243 F (minus 153 C)...

The Moon tilts on its axis about 1.54 degrees - much less than Earth's 23.44 degrees. This means
the Moon does not have seasons like Earth does. However, because of the tilt, there are places at
the lunar poles that never see daylight.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter measured temperatures of minus 396 F (minus 238 C) in craters
at the southern pole and minus 413 F (minus 247 C) in a crater at the northern pole. That is the
coldest temperature ever recorded in the solar system, colder even than Pluto. Scientists think water
ice may exist in those dark craters that are in permanent shadow.
[Source: http://www.space.com/18175-Moon-temperature.html]

(The data above was provided by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter which was launched in
2009.)

NASA purchased KODAK Ektachrome ISO 160 Professional film for use in its Moon cameras.
KODAK has affirmed this was not a special formulation. It was identical to the film they sold to the
public. It had no special radiation or temperature resistance.

In the book Dark Moon by Mary Bennett and David S. Percy, the authors reported on tests which
were performed on this specific Kodak film as it was exposed to varying levels of ionizing radiation,
as well as to the extreme temperatures film would encounter on the lunar surface. An appendix at
the end of the book describes the controlled environment and careful measurements observed in
these tests. David S. Percy FRSA, ARPS is an award-winning film & TV producer and pioneer in
the use of leading edge audiovisual technologies. He is an associate of the Royal Photographic