Laser measurement of Earth-Moon distance. A laser beam fired from a telescope in France, used to measure the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

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Laser measurement of Earth-Moon distance. A laser beam fired from a telescope in France, used to measure the distance between the Earth and the Moon. A series of pulses, each nanoseconds long, is fired at reflectors placed on the Moon during US Apollo and Russian 'Lunakhod' missions. The precise round-trip time of the pulse gives a distance measurement to an accuracy of 3cm. This technique, laser astrometry, gives very accurate data on the orbital dynamics of the Earth and Moon, and has implications for various Earth and Space sciences. Photographed at the Observatory of the Cote d'Azur near Grasse, southern France.

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Size: 3543px × 5168px
Photo credit: © PHILIPPE PLAILLY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: astrometry, cerga, distance, high-tech, laser, lasers, lunar, measurement, moon, scientific, technology