Figure
4 Analysis
Figure 4 is significant
primarily because of its location in the vicinity of the Apollo
12 landing site, and the usual assortment of bright "debris"
in the dark sky above. Most noticeably, there is a large "spike" very
similar to one noted by Hoagland (Martian Horizons, the
Journal of the Mars Mission, Vol.2, No.5) over Mare Crisium.
It is also reminiscent of an object in figure 5, again above the Lunar
horizon.
The sheer volume of these bright objects in the Lunar sky has now
become an issue on it's own. Either NASA had big
problems with its care and maintenance of the Lunar Orbiter
and Apollo photographs (as has been alleged by some
debunkers) or there is ALOT of "stuff" hanging in the
Lunar sky which ought not to be there.
The "haze" of bright spots was visible and somewhat more pronounced in
the source material, but other features, the "spike" for example, were
not. The NSSDC negative should provide an excellent
comparison between the two disparate data sets, and hopefully show
whether these anomalies are merely dust, scratches, or actual Lunar
objects.
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