Photometric anomalies of the lunar surface studied with SMART-1 AMIE data

We present new results from the mapping of lunar photometric function parameters using images acquired by the spacecraft SMART-1 (European Space Agency). The source data for selected lunar areas imaged by the AMIE camera of SMART-1 and the data processing are described. We interpret the behavior of photometric function in terms of lunar regolith properties. Our study reveals photometric anomalies on both small (sub-kilometer) and large (tens of kilometers) scales. We found the regolith mesoscale roughness of lunar swirls to be similar in Mare Marginis, Mare Ingenii, and the surrounding terrains. Unique photometric properties related to peculiarities of the millimeter-scale regolith structure for the Reiner Gamma swirl are confirmed. We identified several impact craters of subkilometer sizes as the source of photometric anomalies created by an increase in mesoscale roughness within the proximal crater ejecta zones. The extended ray systems reveal differences in the photometric properties between proximal and distant ejecta blankets. Basaltic lava flows within Mare Imbrium and Oceanus Procellarum indicate higher regolith porosity for the redder soils due to differences in the chemical composition of lavas.     

Photometric anomalies in the Apollo landing sites as seen from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Phase-ratio imagery is a new tool of qualitative photometric analyses of the upper layer of the lunar regolith, which allows the identification of natural surface structure anomalies and artificially altered regolith. We apply phase-ratio imagery to analyze the Apollo-14, -15, and -17 landing sites. This reveals photometric anomalies of ∼170 × 120 m size that are characterized by lower values of the phase-function steepness, indicating a smoothing of the surface microstructure caused by the engine jets of the landing modules. Other photometric anomalies characterized by higher phase-function slopes are the result of regolith loosening by astronaut boots and the wheels of the Modular Equipment Transporter and the Lunar Roving Vehicle. We also provide a possible explanation for the high brightness of the wheel tracks seen in on-surface images acquired at very large phase angles.     

Spectral properties, magnetic fields, and dust transport at lunar swirls

Lunar swirls are albedo anomalies associated with strong crustal magnetic fields. Swirls exhibit distinctive spectral properties at both highland and mare locations that are plausibly explained by fine-grained dust sorting. The sorting may result from two processes that are fairly well established on the Moon, but have not been previously considered together. The first process is the vertical electrostatic lofting of charged fine dust. The second process is the development of electrostatic potentials at magnetic anomalies as solar wind protons penetrate more deeply into the magnetic field than electrons. The electrostatic potential can attract or repel charged fine-grained dust that has been lofted. Since the finest fraction of the lunar soil is bright and contributes significantly to the spectral properties of the lunar regolith, the horizontal accumulation or removal of fine dust can change a surface’s spectral properties. This mechanism can explain some of the spectral properties of swirls, accommodates their association with magnetic fields, and permits aspects of weathering by micrometeoroids and the solar wind.     

Whole-disk spectrophotometric properties of Mercury: Synthesis of MESSENGER and ground-based observations

Disk-integrated and disk-resolved measurements of Mercury’s surface obtained by both the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) and the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) onboard the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft were analyzed and compared with previous ground-based observations of Mercury at 11 wavelengths. The spectra show no definitive absorption features and display a red spectral slope (increasing reflectance with increasing wavelength) typical of space-weathered rocky surfaces. The MDIS spectra show evidence of phase reddening, which is not observed in the MASCS spectra. The MDIS spectra are commensurate with ground-based observations to within 10%, whereas the MASCS spectra display greater discrepancies with ground-based observations at near-infrared wavelengths. The derived photometric calibrations provide corrections within 10% for observations taken at phase angles less than ∼100°. The derived photometric properties are indicative of a more compact regolith than that of the lunar surface or of average S-type asteroids. The photometric roughness of the surface is also much smoother than the Moon’s. The calculated geometric albedo (reflectance at zero phase) is higher than lunar values. The lower reflectance of immature units on Mercury compared with immature units on the Moon, in conjunction with the higher geometric albedo, is indicative of more complicated grain structures within Mercury’s regolith.     

The surficial nature of lunar swirls as revealed by the Mini-RF instrument

Lunar swirls are optically bright, sinuous albedo features found on the Moon. The Mini-RF synthetic aperture radar on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has provided a comprehensive set of X- and S-Band radar images of these enigmatic features, including the first radar observations of swirls on the farside of the Moon. A few general remarks can be made about the nature of the lunar swirls from this data set. First, the average radar properties of lunar swirls are identical to nearby non-swirl regions, in both total radar backscatter and circular polarization ratio (CPR). This implies that average centimeter-scale roughness and composition within the high-albedo portions of the swirls do not differ appreciably from the surroundings, and that the high optical reflectance of the swirls is related to a very thin surface phenomenon (less than several decimeters thick) not observable with X- or S-Band radar. Secondly, bright swirl material appears to be stratigraphically younger than a newly discovered impact melt flow at Gerasimovich D. This observation indicates that the swirls are capable of forming over timescales less than the age of the crater. The Mini-RF data set also provides clues to the origin of the lunar swirls. In at least one case, the presence of an enhanced crustal magnetic field appears to be responsible for the preservation of a high-albedo ejecta blanket around an otherwise degraded crater, Descartes C. The degree of degradation of Descartes C suggests it should not be optically bright, yet it is. This implies that the enhanced albedo is related to its location within a magnetic anomaly, and hence supports an origin hypothesis that invokes interaction between the solar wind and the magnetic anomaly.     

Photometric properties of lunar terrains derived from Hapke's equation

The photometric parameters of B. W. Hapke's (1986, Icarus 67, 264–280) equation are fit to the lunar disk-integrated visual lightcurve and to disk-resolved data of R. W. Shorthill, J. M. Saari, F. E. Baird, and J. R. LeCompte (1969, Photometric Properties of Selected Lunar Features, NASA Contractor Report CR-1429) for dark, average, and bright lunar terrains. The lunar nearside geometric albedo and phase integral computed from the disk-integrated results are consistent with those of earlier investigators. The single scattering albedos of disk-resolved average and bright lunar terrains are systematically larger than that of lunar mare. Average particles in dark terrain regoliths are more backscattering than those in average and bright lunar terrains. The angular width of the opposition surge is greatest in dark terrains and is found to be best explained by modest differences in regolith particle-size distributions which might accompany the normal regolith maturation process. The total amplitude of the opposition surge for dark terrains is larger than for average and bright terrains. This result appears to be a consequence of the fact that in opaque particles, a larger fraction of singly scattered light at zero phase comes from first-surface reflection. The average subcentimeter macroscopic roughness of dark terrains is significantly lower than that of average and bright terrains. The relative magnitude of this difference is consistent with that obtained from radar measurements at decimeter scales.     

New Earth-based absolute photometry of the Moon

A 2-month series of quasi-simultaneous imaging photometric observations of the Moon and the Sun has been performed at Maidanak Observatory (Uzbekistan). New absolute values of lunar albedo have been obtained. Maps of lunar apparent albedo and equigonal albedo at phase angles 1.7-73° at wavelength 603 nm are presented. The standard deviation of our data from a best-fitted phase curve is 2%. The average ratio of the Clementine albedo to ours is 1.41. While the ratio of ROLO albedo to ours is 0.87, our data are in agreement with independent measurements of absolute albedo by Saiki et al. (Saiki, K., Saito, K., Okuno, H., Suzuki, A., Yamanoi, Y., Hirata N., Nakamura, R. [2008]. Earth Planets Space 60, 417-424) at a phase angle near 7°. A phase ratio imaging near opposition (1.6°/2.7°) shows almost the same ratio for maria and highlands, though bright craters (e.g., Tycho, Copernicus, Aristarchus) clearly reveal smaller slopes of phase function. This is an unexpected result, as the craters are bright and one could anticipate a manifestation of the coherent backscattering effect resulting in the opposition spike increasing at so small phase angles.     

The apparent lack of lunar-like swirls on Mercury: Implications for the formation of lunar swirls and for the agent of space weathering

Images returned by the MESSENGER spacecraft from the Mercury flybys have been examined to search for anomalous high-albedo markings similar to lunar swirls. Several features suggested to be swirls on the basis of Mariner 10 imaging (in the craters Handel and Lermontov) are seen in higher-resolution MESSENGER images to lack the characteristic morphology of lunar swirls. Although antipodes of large impact basins on the Moon are correlated with swirls, the antipodes of the large impact basins on Mercury appear to lack unusual albedo markings. The antipodes of Mercury’s Rembrandt, Beethoven, and Tolstoj basins do not have surface textures similar to the “hilly and lineated” terrain found at the Caloris antipode, possibly because these three impacts were too small to produce obvious surface disturbances at their antipodes. Mercury does have a class of unusual high-reflectance features, the bright crater-floor deposits (BCFDs). However, the BCFDs are spectral outliers, not simply optically immature material, which implies the presence of material with an unusual composition or physical state. The BCFDs are thus not analogs to the lunar swirls. We suggest that the lack of lunar-type swirls on Mercury supports models for the formation of lunar swirls that invoke interaction between the solar wind and crustal magnetic anomalies (i.e., the solar-wind standoff model and the electrostatic dust-transport model) rather than those models of swirl formation that relate to cometary impact phenomena. If the solar-wind standoff hypothesis for lunar swirls is correct, it implies that the primary agent responsible for the optical effects of space weathering on the Moon is solar-wind ion bombardment rather than micrometeoroid impact.     

Lunar photometric properties at wavelengths 0.5-1.6 μm acquired by SELENE Spectral Profiler and their dependency on local albedo and latitudinal zones

The lunar photometric function, which describes the dependency of the observed radiance on the observation geometry, is used for photometric correction of lunar visible/near-infrared data. A precise photometric correction parameter set is crucial for many applications including mineral identification and reflectance map mosaics. We present, for the first time, spectrally continuous photometric correction parameters for both sides of the Moon for wavelengths in the range 0.5-1.6 μm and solar phase angles between 5° and 85°, derived from Kaguya (SELENE) Spectral Profiler (SP) data. Since the measured radiance also depends on the surface albedo, we developed a statistical method for selecting areas with relatively uniform albedos from a nearly 7000-orbit SP data set. Using the selected data set, we obtained empirical photometric correction parameter sets for three albedo groups (high, medium, and low). We did this because the photometric function depends on the albedo, especially at phase angles below about 20° for which the shadow hiding opposition effect is appreciable. We determined the parameters in 160 bands and discovered a small variation in the opposition effect due to the albedo variation of mafic mineral absorption. The consistency of the photometric correction was checked by comparing observations made at different times of the same area on the lunar surface. Variations in the spectra obtained were lower than 2%, except for the large phase angle data in mare. Lastly, we developed a correction method for low solar elevation data, which is required for high latitude regions. By investigating low solar elevation data, we introduced an additional correction method. We used the new photometric correction to generate a 1° mesh global lunar reflectance map cube in a wavelength range of 0.5-1.6 μm. Surprisingly, these maps reveal that high latitude (?75°) regions in both the north and south have much lower spectral continuum slopes (color ratio r_1547.7nm/r_752.8nm ? 1.8) than the low and medium latitude regions, which implies lower degrees of space weathering.     

Global survey of lunar regolith depths from LROC images

We performed the first global survey of lunar regolith depths using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) data and the crater morphology method for determining regolith depth. We find that on both the lunar farside and in the nearside, non-mare regions, the regolith depth is twice as deep as it is within the lunar maria. Our data compare favorably with previous studies where such data exist. We also find that regolith depth correlates well with density of large craters (>20 km diameter). This result is consistent with the gradual formation of regolith by rock fracture during impact events.     

Photometric function variations observed on the near side of the Moon: Mapping

During two lunations, telescopic imaging of the near side of the Moon was performed at the Maidanak mountain observatory (Uzbekistan) with the use of digital cameras based on CMOS detectors. In different ranges of phase angles, the slope of the phase function of the lunar surface was mapped at a wavelength of 0.52 μm with the method of phase ratios. It has been shown that when the phase angle is gradually decreasing, the correlation between the phase-function slope and the albedo first disappears, and then even changes its sign at small phase angles.     

Regolith thickness over the lunar nearside: Results from Earth-based 70-cm Arecibo radar observations

The inversion of regolith thickness over the nearside hemisphere of the Moon from newly acquired Earth-based 70-cm Arecibo radar data is investigated using a quantitative radar scattering model. The radar scattering model takes into account scattering from both the lunar surface and buried rocks in the lunar regolith, and three parameters are critically important in predicting the radar backscattering coefficient: the dielectric constant of the lunar regolith, the surface roughness, and the size and abundance of subsurface rocks. The measured dielectric properties of the Apollo regolith samples at 450 MHz are re-analyzed, and an improved relation among the complex dielectric constant, bulk density and regolith composition is obtained. The complex dielectric constant of the lunar regolith is estimated globally from this relation using the regolith composition derived from Lunar Prospector gamma-ray spectrometer data. To constrain the lunar surface roughness and abundance of subsurface rocks from radar data, nine regions are selected as calibration sites where the regolith thickness has been estimated using independent analysis techniques. For these sites, scattering from the lunar surface and buried rocks cannot be perfectly distinguished, and a tradeoff relationship exists between the size and abundance of buried rocks and surface roughness. Using these tradeoff relations as guidelines for globally representative parameters, the regolith thickness of four regions over the lunar nearside is inverted, and the inversion uncertainties caused by calibration errors of the radar data and model input parameters are analyzed. The regolith thickness of the maria is generally smaller than that of highlands, and older surfaces have thicker regolith thicknesses. Our approach cannot be applied to regions where the surface roughness is very high, such as with young rocky craters and regions in the highly rugged highlands.     

Multispectral polarimetry as a tool to investigate texture and chemistry of lunar regolith particles

We report results of telescope polarimetric imaging of the Moon with a CCD LineScan Camera at large phase angles, near 88°. This allows measurements of the polarization degree with an absolute accuracy better than 0.3% and detection of features with polarization contrast as small as 0.1%. The measurements are carried out in two spectral bands centered near 0.65 and 0.42 μm. We suggest characterizing the lunar regolith with the parameter a(Pmax)A, where Pmax,A, and a are the degree of maximum polarization, albedo, and the parameter describing the linear regression of the correlation Pmax-A. The parameter bears significant information on the particle characteristic size and packing density of the lunar regolith. We also suggest characterizing the lunar regolith with color-ratio images obtained with a polarization filter at large phase angles. We here consider the color-ratios C||(0.65/0.42 μm) and C_⊥(0.65/0.42 μm). Using light scattering model calculations we show that the color-ratio images obtained with a polarization filter at large phase angles suggest a new tool to study the lunar surface. In particular, it turns out that the color-ratios C||(0.65/0.42 μm) and C_⊥(0.65/0.42 μm) are sensitive to somewhat different thicknesses of the surfaces of regolith particles. We consider the applicability of the Hubble Space Telescope, the Very Large Telescope (ESO), and a spacecraft on a lunar polar orbit for polarimetric observations of the lunar surface.     

Quantitative estimation of helium-3 spatial distribution in the lunar regolith layer

³He (helium-3) in the lunar regolith implanted by the solar wind is one of the most valuable resources because of its potential as a fusion fuel. The abundance of ³He in the lunar regolith is related to solar wind flux, lunar surface maturity and TiO₂ content, etc. A model of solar wind flux, which takes account of variations due to shielding of the nearside when the Moon is in the Earth's magnetotail, is used to present a global distribution of relative solar wind flux over the lunar surface. Using Clementine UV/VIS multispectral data, the global distribution of lunar surface optical maturity (OMAT) and the TiO₂ content in the lunar regolith are calculated. Based on Apollo regolith samples, a linear relation between ³He abundance and normalized solar wind flux, optical maturity, and TiO₂ content is presented. To simulate the brightness temperature of the lunar surface, which is the mission of the Chinese Chang-E project's multichannel radiometers, a global distribution of regolith layer thickness is first empirically constructed from lunar digital elevation mapping (DEM). Then an inversion approach is presented to retrieve the global regolith layer thickness. It finally yields the total amount of ³He per unit area in the lunar regolith layer, which is related to the regolith layer thickness, solar wind flux, optical maturity and TiO₂ content, etc. The global inventory of ³He is estimated as 6.50×¹⁰⁸ kg, where 3.72×¹⁰⁸ kg is for the lunar nearside and 2.78×¹⁰⁸ kg is for the lunar farside.     

Optical polarimetry of planet mercury

Polarimetric measurements were collected at different areas of the surface of Mercury, and for the whole disk in six wavelengths. The curves of polarization are compared with telescopic observations of the Moon and laboratory studies of minerals and returned lunar samples. The negative branch of polarization proves that Mercury's surface is almost everywhere covered by a regolith layer of fines of the lunar type, also made of dark and adsorbing material, and most probably of the same impact generated origin. The polarization maximum of Mercury is reproduced by lunar samples of fines of intermediate albedo corresponding to the lightest regolith found in the Apollo explored maria.The albedo of Mercury at phase angle 5° deduced from telescopic photometry is to be corrected by a factor of 1.20 and the best “polarimetric” values of albedos are 0.130 at λ = 0.585μm, 0.119 at λ = 0.520 μm, 0.093 at λ = 0.379μm and 0.087 at λ = 0.354μm. The contrast between light and dark-lined regions at the surface of Mercury is most probably much fainter than between the maria and continents on the Moon.The molecular atmosphere of Mercury, if any, has a surface pressure probably smaller than 2 × 10^?4 bars.     

Optical measurements of the Moon as a tool to study its surface

This survey is a general overview of modern optical studies of the Moon and their diagnostic meaning. It includes three united parts: phase photometry, spectrophotometry, and polarimetry. The first one is devoted to the progress in the photometry of the Moon, which includes absolute albedo determination to refine the albedo scale (e.g., to connect lunar observations and the data of lunar sample measurements) and mapping the parameters of a lunar photometric function (e.g., the phase-angle ratios method) with the aim of making qualitative estimates of regolith structure variations. This part also includes observations of the lunar opposition effect as well as photogrammetry and photoclinometry techniques. In particular, available data show that because of the low albedo of the lunar surface, the coherent backscattering enhancement hardly influences the lunar opposition spike, with the exception of the brightest lunar areas measured in the NIR. The second part is devoted to chemical/mineral mapping of the Moon's surface using spectrophotometric measurements. This section also includes analyses related to the detection of water ice or hydroxyl, prognoses of maturity, and helium-3 abundance mapping. In particular, we examine the relationship between superficial OH/H₂O compounds spectrally detected recently and bulk “water ice” found earlier by the Lunar Prospector GRS and LRO LEND, assuming that the compounds are delivered to cold traps (permanently shadowed regions) with electrostatically levitated dust saturated by solar wind hydrogen. Significant problems arise with the determination of TiO₂ content, as the correlation between this parameter and the color ratio C(750/415 nm) is very non-linear and not universal for different composition types of the lunar surface; a promising way to resolve this problem is to use color ratios in the UV spectral range. The third part is devoted to mapping of polarization parameters of the lunar surface, which enable estimates of the average size of regolith particles and their optical inhomogeneity. This includes considerations of the Umov effect and results of spectropolarimetry, negative polarization imagery, and measurements of other polarimetric parameters, including the third Stokes parameter. Although these three research divisions have not been developed equally and the numbers of proper references are very different, we try to keep a balance between them, depicting a uniform picture. It should be emphasized that many results presented in this review can be applied to other atmosphereless celestial bodies as well.     

The SMART-1 Mission: Photometric Studies of the Moon with the AMIE Camera

We describe the future SMART-1 European Space Mission whose objective is to study the lunar surface from a polar lunar orbit. In particular, it is anticipated that selected regions of the Moon will be photographed using the AMIE camera with a mean spatial resolution of about 100 m in three spectral channels (0.75, 0.92, and 0.96 m) over a wide range of phase angles. Since these spectral channels and the AMIE resolution are close to those of the UVVIS camera onboard the Clementine spacecraft, the simultaneous processing of SMART-1 and Clementine data can be planned, for example, to obtain phase-ratio images. These images carry information on the structural features of the lunar surface. In particular, UVVIS/Clementine data revealed a photometric anomaly at the Apollo-15 landing site associated with the blowing of the lunar regolith by the lander engine. Anomalies were found in the ejection zones of several fresh craters.     

Deep Space 1 photometry of the nucleus of Comet 19P/Borrelly

The NASA-JPL Deep Space 1 Mission (DS1) encountered the short-period Jupiter-family Comet 19P/Borrelly on September 22, 2001, about 8 days after perihelion. DS1's payload contained a remote-sensing package called MICAS (Miniature Integrated Camera Spectrometer) that included a 1024 square CCD and a near IR spectrometer with ∼12 nm resolution. Prior to its closest approach of 2171 km, the remote-sensing package on the spacecraft obtained 25 CCD images of the comet and 45 near-IR spectra (L. Soderblom et al., 2002, Science 296, 1087-1091). These images provided the first close-up view of a comet's nucleus sufficiently unobscured to perform quantitative photometric studies. At closest approach, corresponding to a resolution of 47 meters per pixel, the intensity of the coma was less than 1% of that of the nucleus. An unprecedented range of high solar phase angles (52-89 degrees), viewing geometries that are in general attainable only when a comet is active, enabled the first quantitative and disk resolved modeling of surface photometric physical parameters, including the single particle phase function and macroscopic roughness. The disk-integrated geometric albedo of Borrelly's nucleus is 0.029±0.006, comparable to the dark hemisphere of Iapetus, the lowest albedo C-type asteroids, and the uranian rings. The Bond albedo, 0.009±0.002, is lower than that of any Solar System object measured. Such a low value may enhance the heating of the nucleus and sublimation of volatiles, which in turn causes the albedo to decrease even further. A map of normal reflectance of Borrelly shows variations far greater than those seen on asteroids. The two main terrain types, smooth and mottled, exhibit mean normal reflectances of 0.03 and 0.022. The physical photometric parameters of Borrelly's nucleus are typical of other small dark bodies, particularly asteroids, except preliminary modeling results indicate its regolith may be substantially fluffier. The nucleus exhibits significant variations in macroscopic roughness, with the oldest, darkest terrain being slightly smoother. This result suggests the infilling of low-lying areas with dust and particles that have not been able to leave the comet. The surface of the comet is backscattering, but there are significant variations in the single particle phase function. One region exhibits a flat particle phase function between solar phase angles of 50° and 75° (like cometary dust and unlike planetary surfaces), suggesting that its regolith is controlled by native dust rather than by meteoritic bombardment.     

Viking orbiter observations of the Mars opposition effect

The Viking Extended Mission has experienced two major dust storms that have changed the global photometric properties of Mars. Large quantities of atmospheric dust arising from the June 5, 1977, storm have been observed at very low phase angles to measure the opposition effect. These particles yield only a small increase in brightness at 0° phase angle with the least enhancement seen in violet light. The phase function is well modeled by nonspherical particles with a spectrally dependent single scattering albedo. It is doubtful, therefore, that atmospheric dust plays a significant role in the reported blue light brightness surge. Such particles as surface structure combined with a lunar photometric function could, however, produce the wavelength-dependent backscattering observed during the 1967 and 1969 oppositions under clearer conditions.     

The SMART-1 AMIE experiment: implication to the lunar opposition effect

The lunar surface reveals a sharp opposition effect, which is to be explained by the shadowing and coherent backscattering mechanisms. Generalizing the radiative transfer theory via Monte Carlo methods, we are carrying out studies of backscattering in regolith-like scattering media. We have also started systematic laboratory measurements of structural simulators of lunar regolith. The SMART-1 AMIE and D-CIXS/XSM experiments provide us a unique opportunity for a simultaneous multiwavelength study of the lunar regolith close to opposition, since the SMART-1 spacecraft will pass over several different types of lunar surface at zero phase angles. Results of our theoretical and laboratory investigations can be used as a basis to interpret the SMART-1 AMIE and D-CIXS/XSM experiments. In particular, it seems to be possible to estimate regional variations of regolith particle volume fraction and their size. A short review of observational, experimental and theoretical works is also presented here.