Unidentified LROC Object

I like to check out the LROC images as they come out because of the great resolution and to compare them to older Lunar Orbiter and Apollo pics. While looking at this one I noticed something that looked strange.

Image Source



Smoothed Zoom…



Unsmoothed zoom…



“IF” that dark spot is a shadow, the object apparently making it does not look like it is on the lunar surface, but rather above it at some altitude.

Based on the .52m/pixel scale, I think the object would be in the area of about 21 feet long/wide at or near the lunar surface, give or take a few.

I suppose it could be a white spot next to a black spot, but it sure looks curious to me.

Hmmm, intersting to say the least. Furthier investingation is needed. Like the LROC though.
Second line because it's late.

[edit on 29-7-2010 by coldfiremx]

oops
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[edit on 29-7-2010 by coldfiremx]

From the shadow being cast, it looks like a relatively tall object. There is a crater above it with a similarly long shadow. Going by the shadow the crater is casting, I suppose the object is not exorbitantly tall -- probably a little taller than that crater is deep.

Perhaps it is a long piece of ejecta from a meteor impact that landed more-or-less upright and stuck in the soil that way. There are other pieces of rock (other pieces of ejecta?) strewn about in that area.






[edit on 7/29/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]

Not sure what it is but want to hear from others with more knowledge. I am giving an S&F and keeping it towards the top.

It's really nice to see a thread like this which ISN'T proclaiming this to be proof of structures on the moon. My best guess is that it's a really tall rock casting an interesting shadow, but the width of the shadow doesn't look to me to quite match the width of the apparent rock.

Yeah, the shadows size seems odd to me too, it kinda gives you feeling it actually is above surface... hmm have to look into it more...

anybody got any idea how big that object might be?

anyways good post and interesting S&F

Cheers!

If the sun was shining from at about the "10 or 11 o'clock" position, the object could cast a shadow like that.

It's true that the shadow on the right side of the object seems to be away from (down and to the right of) the object, but the part of the shadow on the left end of the object seems to be angling away down and to the right in a consistent manner.

Plus, it may be possible that the object (rock?) has a protrusion pointing "up" on its lower right side; that would cause that bulge in the lower part of the shadow.


[edit on 7/29/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People
If the sun was shining from at about the "10 or 11 o'clock" position, the object could cast a shadow like that.

It's true that the shadow on the right side of the object seems to be away from (down and to the right of) the object, but the part of the shadow on the left end of the object seems to be angling away down and to the right in a consistent manner.

Plus, it may be possible that the object (rock?) has a protrusion pointing "up" on its lower right side; that would cause that bulge in the lower part of the shadow.


[edit on 7/29/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]

Yes, that could be it, but something more still bothers me with this one

the object seems so round in shape and would think that a rock would have sharper angles? since theres not supposed to have been running water on moon.... hmm... or then it isnt round but the picture just not sharp enough....

damn i wish someday we get even sharper images so we dont have to second guess around here ,though thats why i joined ATS youll allways get different angles on things

[edit on 7/29/2010 by zoomer72]

[edit on 7/29/2010 by zoomer72]

reply to post by Zarniwoop


Good find.

looks like a standard UFO (the egg model) we have seen before from the LO images.

The shadow under the craft is the give away for this one.

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People


If the object were resting on the surface, you would see only a small shadow at the the bottom edge and maybe to the right a bit, depending on the angle of the surface. Since this shadow is almost entireley separated from the object, unlike any rock/shadow pair elsewhere in the image, the object would have to be above the surface (with nothing apparantly underneath it)

reply to post by watchZEITGEISTnow


Thanks WZN

It looks like the new sports model

Here's the same spot in a different image with a low Sun angle. The boulder is still there and casting a long shadow.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c92f8e54a169.gif[/atsimg]

Here's a link to the LROC image itself: First Look: Orion in the Highlands

[edit on 29-7-2010 by jra]

reply to post by jra


These two specific areas look very different to me. Of course, there is a different sun angle and resolution.

How did you determine that this is the same area and/or boulder?

Originally posted by Zarniwoop
How did you determine that this is the same area and/or boulder?

Well the big white crater is North Ray crater, which was visited by the astronauts on Apollo 16. After finding that in both images one can match the pattern of craters between the two images.

reply to post by watchZEITGEISTnow


??Huh??

Good joke...

...looks like a standard UFO (the egg model)...

....unless...no, you aren't serious - are you??

Errrmmm...best way to destroy that particular claim is to estimate its size, by comparing to known craters in the vicinity.

I'm willing to bet the estimate would be much larger than the normally accepted "UFO alien saucer" claims so many have made...I mean, they're normally, what?? 35, 40 feet in diameter???

~~~~~~

Oh, goody. Thanks to jra, we know the crater is named "North Ray". So, I looked it up:

About 1 km across, North Ray
crater straddles a ridge approximately 50 m high and a
little narrower than the crater rim.

history.nasa.gov...

So, the crater is ~one kilometer in diameter.

Hmmmm.....that certainly is a BIG "sport model" flying saucer!!



[edit on 29 July 2010 by weedwhacker]

reply to post by jra


I can't really see the crater pattern, but I'll take your word that it is the same general area.

I am wondering why the object in the OP pic stands out so much and has a very prominent shadow, but the area you show has many boulders of the same size or larger that should show up in the OP pic as well, with shadows... but they aren't there.

reply to post by weedwhacker


WeedWhacker.

If you look at the source image, which is 2.6 km across, I think the North Ray crater, based on your research, is the huge white crater near the top of the image on the left, not the tiny crater next to the object in question here. The object is a teeny tiny little spec when compared to the North Ray crater. Well within the reasonable limits of a sports coupe


EDIT to Add:

Here is a size comparison of the object and the Apollo 16 landing site from the same image... Same zoom level. It aint all that big.



I'm not saying the object is a UFO, but I don't see a reasonable explanation for the shadow to say its a rock on the lunar surface.



[edit on 30-7-2010 by Zarniwoop]

Originally posted by Zarniwoop
I can't really see the crater pattern, but I'll take your word that it is the same general area.

Here's a side by side comparison.

files.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by jra


Thanks for that jra. That is exactly what I was looking for

Looks like the same rock that casts a really odd shadow in the more recent pic.