Celestial Why isn't there a camera on the moon?

Fairwillows

Where I am supposed to be.
I think random thoughts. Today I wondered why we don't have a camera on the moon, projected at earth? I mean the moon is stationary. I don't know that I trust the videos from ISS. But then again, I'd probably question a moon cam too, considering our gov't would be the one placing it. Maybe Musk will put one up there...I might send him an email :geek: :lkick:or the Russians. I just wonder.....
 

JF&P

Deceased
I think random thoughts. Today I wondered why we don't have a camera on the moon, projected at earth? I mean the moon is stationary. I don't know that I trust the videos from ISS. But then again, I'd probably question a moon cam too, considering our gov't would be the one placing it. Maybe Musk will put one up there...I might send him an email :geek: :lkick:or the Russians. I just wonder.....

The moon is not stationary
 

tanstaafl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Nor is there a "light side" and a "dark side." It keeps one side facing the Earth, true, but as it revolves around us it exposes most of itself to the Sun (except for some deep craters at the poles). A solar powered cam would need batteries capable of holding a charge for at least two weeks and probably more like three before the Sun would be able to charge them again. Not to mention that the Earth doesn't appear super-huge from the surface of the Moon, so you'd get pretty limited pictures from that cam (maybe you'd see cloud patterns, but big whoop).
 

9idrr

Veteran Member
I think random thoughts. Today I wondered why we don't have a camera on the moon, projected at earth? I mean the moon is stationary. I don't know that I trust the videos from ISS. But then again, I'd probably question a moon cam too, considering our gov't would be the one placing it. Maybe Musk will put one up there...I might send him an email :geek: :lkick:or the Russians. I just wonder.....
There is, and ya need to be careful about those midnight nekkid dances in the garden. And what ya did with that rubber chicken and the peach preserves... ;)
 

tanstaafl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
My brain had nothing better to do today, so I thought about how big the Earth would appear from the surface of the Moon and came up with the size of a quarter (give or take a bit) held at arm's length. That's it. All those pictures from the Moon where the Earth looks so big are the result of selective photo cropping and don't reflect the size you'd see with your own eyes. The Earth is a bit less than 4X (I get something like 3.67X) the diameter of the Moon, so all you need to do is picture the Moon four times wider to get the approximate size. Which means unless that Web cam on the Moon has a hefty zoom lens on it or something really big happens on Earth, you aren't likely to see squat. Also keep in mind that the Earth-Moon orbital dynamic is not as fixed as you might think (I think it wobbles a bit, not to mention the distance between the two changes significantly over the months and years), which in turn means you'd better be able to remotely adjust where that camera points to keep a good picture available.
 

Fairwillows

Where I am supposed to be.
In my travels out and about on a daily basis....I see flipping cameras EVERYWHERE....and the thought, damn, I'm surprised there isn't one on the moon arrived! then again.....I have weird thoughts....should probably keep them, to myself:geek::geek::lkick::geek::geek:
 

West

Senior
These guys just forgot to load the film...

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tanstaafl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
why don't we have a camera on the earth that has the lunar lander and flag in focus?

I don't know, 250,000 miles (plus or minus several thousand miles, depending on orbital dynamics at the moment) might have something to do with that. You'd need a heck of a zoom lens to see something that small from the surface of Earth (and the Earth's constantly changing atmospherics would play merry hell with the focusing), but there have been photos released from various lunar missions showing lunar landers, rover tracks, etc.
 
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