Lunar Atlas — Data Sources
Textures
Color Map (moon-color-4k.jpg, moon-color-2k.jpg)
- Source: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) — CGI Moon Kit
- Dataset: LROC (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera) color map, 2025 update
- File:
lroc_color_16bit_srgb_4k.tif — 16-bit sRGB, 4096×2048
- URL: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4720
- License: NASA public domain (U.S. Government works)
- Notes: Downloaded as TIF, converted to JPEG at quality 92 via macOS
sips. The 2K version is shown on initial load; the 4K upgrades silently in the background.
Normal Map (moon-normal-2k.png)
- Source: Derived from NASA LOLA (Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter) DEM
- Base dataset:
ldem_4.tif — 4 pixels/degree (1440×720), elevation in km
- URL: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004700/a004720/ldem_4.tif
- Processing: Tangent-space normal map computed from elevation gradients using central differences. Longitude gradient uses
cos(lat) correction clamped to 0.1 to prevent pole pinching. Bicubic-upscaled to 2048×1024.
- License: NASA public domain
Displacement Map (moon-displacement-2k.png)
- Source: Same LOLA DEM (
ldem_4.tif) as above
- Elevation range: −8.88 km to +10.50 km (full lunar topographic range)
- Processing: Normalized to 0–255 grayscale, bicubic-upscaled to 2048×1024, Gaussian blur (radius 1) to smooth vertex stepping artifacts.
- License: NASA public domain
Place Coordinates
Apollo Landing Sites
- Source: NASA/LROC confirmed coordinates from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery
- Accuracy: Sub-10 meter (LROC camera resolution ~0.5 m/px)
- Reference: NASA LRO mission reports; coordinates widely published in mission documentation
| Mission | Site | Lat | Lon |
|---|
| Apollo 11 | Tranquility Base | 0.6741°N | 23.4731°E |
| Apollo 12 | Conrad Station | 3.0124°S | 23.4216°W |
| Apollo 14 | Fra Mauro Base | 3.6453°S | 17.4714°W |
| Apollo 15 | Hadley-Apennine | 26.1322°N | 3.6339°E |
| Apollo 16 | Descartes Highlands | 8.9730°S | 15.5002°E |
| Apollo 17 | Taurus-Littrow | 20.1908°N | 30.7717°E |
Lunar Maria & Craters
- Source: IAU (International Astronomical Union) / USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature
- URL: https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/
- Accuracy: ±1–5 km (center-point coordinates of named features)
Artemis Target (Shackleton Rim)
- Source: NASA Artemis program planning documents; LROC south pole imagery
- Coordinates: 89.54°S, 129.30°E (approximate rim landing zone)
Robotic Mission Sites
- Luna 9 (7.13°N, 64.37°W): Soviet mission documentation; IAU gazetteer
- Chang’e 4 (45.44°S, 177.59°E): CNSA mission report; confirmed by LROC imaging
- Chang’e 5 (43.06°N, 51.92°W): CNSA mission report (Mons Rümker region)
Far Side & Other Features
- South Pole–Aitken Basin (~53°S, 169°W): USGS/IAU gazetteer; basin center approximate
- Mare Moscoviense (27.3°N, 147.9°E): IAU gazetteer
- Tsiolkovskiy (20.4°S, 128.9°E): IAU gazetteer
- Mare Orientale (19.4°S, 92.8°W): IAU gazetteer (basin center)
Apollo EVA Traverse Paths
Waypoints drawn as route lines on the surface for each Apollo mission.
- Landing site coordinates: LROC-confirmed (sub-10 m accuracy)
- Crater/feature waypoints: IAU/USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature (±50–200 m)
- Traverse narratives: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, ed. Eric Jones (NASA)
- Notes: Traverses are approximate at globe scale; sufficient for illustrative path rendering. Apollo 11 and 12 were on foot (~250 m and ~1.3 km total); Apollo 15–17 used the Lunar Roving Vehicle (up to 35.7 km for Apollo 17).
Lunar Phase Calculation
- Method: Synodic period calculation from a known new moon epoch
- Reference epoch: January 6, 2000 at 18:14 UTC
- Synodic period: 29.530588853 days
- Source: Standard astronomical constant; widely documented (e.g., Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed.)
Rendering
- 3D engine: Three.js r183
- Sphere geometry: 256×192 segments with LOLA displacement mapping
- Lighting: Directional sun light (warm white) + earthshine fill (cool blue) + ambient
- Atmosphere: Custom Fresnel GLSL shader (additive blending)
Other high-quality interactive lunar maps and visualizations worth referencing: