page_title: Lunar south pole
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Lunar south pole / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Lunar south pole temperature as imaged by Diviner. Cabeus Crater, de Gerlache Crater, Haworth Crater, Shackleton Crater, Shoemaker Crater, Faustini Crater, Nobile Crater, Amundsen Crater.
context_page_description: The lunar south pole is of special interest to scientists because of the occurrence of water ice in permanently shadowed areas around it. The lunar south pole region features craters that are unique in that the near-constant sunlight does not reach their interior. Such craters are cold traps that contain a fossil record of hydrogen, water ice, and other volatiles dating from the early Solar System. In contrast, the lunar north pole region exhibits a much lower quantity of similarly sheltered craters.
context_section_description: The lunar south pole is located on the center of the polar Antarctic Circle (80°S to 90°S). The lunar south pole has shifted 5 degrees from its original position billions of years ago. This shift has changed the rotational axis of the Moon, allowing sunlight to reach previously shadowed areas, but the south pole still features some completely shadowed areas. The axis spin is 88.5 degrees from the plane of the elliptic. On the contrary, the pole also contains areas with permanent exposure to sunlight. The south pole region features many craters and basins such as the South Pole–Aitken basin, which appears to be one of the most fundamental features of the Moon, and mountains, such as Epsilon Peak at 9.050 km, taller than any mountain found on Earth. The south pole temperature averages at approximately 260 K (−13 °C; 8 °F).
caption: Lunar south polar region as imaged by Diviner.
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