Illumination conditions at the lunar polar regions by KAGUYA(SELENE) laser altimeter

The sunlit conditions of the lunar polar regions were estimated by using a digital elevation model made by the laser altimeter data onboard the Japanese lunar orbiter KAGUYA (SELENE). The result shows that i) there are no peaks of eternal light in either north or south polar regions, ii) most continuously lit surfaces are 89% for north and 86% for south, iii) there are permanently shadowed regions. These information will be useful for the long-durable landing experiments on the Moon and possibly for the human activity on the Moon in the near future.