Temperatures on the Moon’s surface can oscillate between 250 degrees Fahrenheit and -280 F , which can interfere with data collection and cause instruments to freeze. As a demonstration mission, LuSEE-Night’s primary objective is not to collect scientific data but merely to survive the harsh environment on the lunar far side, to test the feasibility of installing future telescopes there. Whatever radio observations it collects will be a welcome bonus.
“LuSEE-Night is a fascinating experiment that will get us closer to observing something we’ve never been able to before - the Dark Ages signal,” said Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, DOE director of the Office of Science, in a NASA . “With this collaboration, DOE and NASA are setting conditions for successful exploration of the Dark Ages cosmology in the decades to come.”The lunar far side is the perfect place for a radio telescope like LuSEE-Night, because it is protected from the constant barrage of radio waves emanating from Earth’s surface. Likewise, the Moon lacks a strong ionosphere, which can also interfere with incoming radio waves a telescope may capture.
The so-called Dark Ages occurred approximately 380,000 to 400 million years after the Big Bang, before stars and galaxies began to form and illuminate space. NASA says that radio waves are the only evidence of the Dark Ages, making the far side of the Moon the best place to collect those signals.If you’re ready to drop some cash on a TV, now’s a great time to do it. You can score the 75-inch Samsung Q70A QLED 4K TV for a whopping $800 off.