Lunar thermal anomalies: infrared observations.
The lunar craters Tycho, Copernicus, and Aristarchus have been observed during lunar night at wavelengths between 3 and 14 microns. After an initial fast decrease to a color temperature of 220 degrees K, the temperature remains nearly constant through the lunar night. The data suggest that these thermal anomalies (craters) contain hot and cold regions with the hot portions constituting 2 to 10 percent of the area and probably thermally connected to a subsurface temperatuer of about 200 degrees K.
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