Astronomy Picture of the Day · May 23, 2001

Strange Orange Soil on the Moon

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 23, 2001 is “Strange Orange Soil on the Moon,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Apollo 17 Crew , NASA. The original explanation runs about 147 words.

From the explanation

“How did orange soil appear on the Moon? This mystery began when astronaut Harrison Schmidt noticed the off-color patch near Apollo 17 ‘s Taurus-Littrow landing site in 1972.”

— APOD editors, May 23, 2001

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: May 23, 2001
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Apollo 17 Crew , NASA
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 147 words

All of May 2001 → · 2001 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Moon Apollo program

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 23 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, May 23, 2001 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2001-may-23-strange-orange-soil-on-the-moon

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.