A concept for a simple radio observatory at the lunar south pole

The lunar south pole may be the most feasible site for the first very low frequency interferometric array. The part of the electromagnetic spectrum below similar to30 MHz remains to be the only unexplored window in astronomy because of significant radio interference of Earth. To avoid such interference, the far side of the Moon has been considered for basing a radio array. However, such an observatory will unlikely be funded until access to the lunar far side becomes inexpensive. This paper presents a potentially affordable observatory concept for performing an initial sky survey at very low frequencies. The south polar region of the Moon was chosen as the observatory site and its radio quietness was examined using a numerical simulation. The simulation shows that the far side of Malapert Mountain near the lunar south pole may be a promising site for radio astronomy. Simple radio antennas could be deployed there as a lightweight payload on any mission to the lunar south pole. (C) 2003 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.