Hole in the Moon

clipped from www.itwire.com

Hole as big as city block found on Moon

A Japanese led team of researchers has found a large, dark pit on the near side of the Moon that is "as big as a city block and deep as a modest skyscraper." Probably created billions of years ago, it is considered by the scientists to be a collapsed lava tube.

clipped from www.space.com

This apparent hole in the moon is like a skylight, a vertical cave 213 feet (65 meters) across and some 262 to 289 feet deep (80-88 meters). It is thought to be a collapsed lava tube. The inset shows close-up of the boxed area. Credit: ISAS/JAXA/SELENE/Junichi Haruyama et al.

clipped from www.kaguya.jaxa.jp

clipped from europa.agu.org:8005

AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

Possible lunar lava tube skylight observed by SELENE cameras

Junichi Haruyama et al.

clipped from topics.cnn.com

Moon hole might be suitable for colony

Scientists report finding a lunar hole that might make a good candidate for a moon colony.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Scientists find deep hole on moon that could be suitable for colony
  
• Discovery of "lava tube" is published in journal of American Geophysical Union
  
• Lava tubes have been found before, but this one is protected by "lava sheet"
  
• Report says that shield protects hole from meteorites and harsh temperatures

Sources:

1. iTWire - Hole as big as city block found on Moon
2. Image Display
3. SPACE.com -- Hole in the Moon Could Shelter Colonists
4. KAGUYA (SELENE) - TOP
5. AGU: Possible lunar lava tube skylight observed by SELENE cameras
6. Moon hole might be suitable for colony - CNN.com

Related:

1. Hole in the moon could shelter colonists - Space.com- msnbc.com
2. FOXNews.com - Hole in the Moon Could Shelter Colonists
3. Moon Colonists? A Hole on the Moon May allow us... | Gather