False topographic perception phenomena observed with the satellite images of Moon's surface

Abstract

False Topographic Perception Phenomena (FTPP) are commonly observed in images of rugged terrain on the surface of the Earth acquired by polar-orbiting satellites. It is interesting to note that due to the absence of atmosphere, vegetation and presence of numerous craters on its surface, the Moon illustrates very vividly and uniquely FTPP, which is less obvious with images of the Earth. In this article images of the Moon taken during the six missions of the NASA Apollo programme and from the Chandrayan-1 Indian satellite are used to demonstrate FTPP on the surface of the Moon. Numerous craters present on the surface of the Moon are perceived as hillock/plateau and vice versa. Combinations of various interrelated factors, for example topographic relief, observer position, Sun azimuth and elevation angles, are responsible for FTPP. Craters in the northern hemisphere of the Moon exhibit FTPP as the Moon's surface was imaged from southern side under equatorial illumination.