Arecibo Moon Radar Backscatter Images at 12.6 cm Wavelength

Arecibo Observatory radar images of the Moon's surface at a 12.6 cm wavelength. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration produced these scaled backscatter cross-section images, which are projected onto a Mercator grid with 0.01-degree longitude spacing per pixel. The data are corrected for antenna beam shape but not for scattering variations with incidence angle.

Use Cases

• Analyze lunar surface radar reflectivity based on scaled backscatter cross-section images.
• Map radar scattering properties across the Moon based on Mercator-projected imagery.
• Study the effects of incidence angle on radar scattering using uncorrected data.
• Compare radar-derived lunar features with other remote sensing datasets.

Strengths

• Data are corrected for antenna beam shape, improving signal consistency.
• Images are projected onto a Mercator grid with a specific 0.01-degree longitude spacing per pixel.
• Data are scaled to fit within the dynamic range of output values.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data are not corrected for radar scattering variations with incidence angle.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Radar observations from the Arecibo Observatory.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:27:58.279634; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Moon