The First Lunar Observatory
The first, and so far only,
lunar
astronomical observatory was deployed by the
Apollo 16 crew in 1972.
The Far
Ultraviolet Camera / Spectrograph used a 3-inch diameter
Schmidt telescope to photograph the
Earth,
nebulae,
star clusters,
and the Large Magellanic Cloud.
The tripod mounted astronomical equipment
is
seen above, placed in the shadow of the
Lunar Module (right) so it would not overheat.
Also in the shadow is astronaut Charles Duke with
the lunar rover in the background.
The Far Ultraviolet Camera
took pictures in ultraviolet light
which would normally be blocked by the Earth's atmosphere.
It was created by George Carruthers (NRL),
had a field of view of twenty degrees, and could detect stars having
visual
magnitude brighter than eleven.
One hundred seventy-eight images were recorded in a film
cartridge which the astronauts returned to Earth.
The observatory still stands
on
the Moon today.