# 1950's Depictions of the Moon's Surface-Why So Wrong?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-depictions-of-the-moons-surface-why-so-wrong/645752>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 1, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-depictions-of-the-moons-surface-why-so-wrong/645752 "2013-01-01T16:04:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-depictions-of-the-moons-surface-why-so-wrong/645752/21 "2013-01-08T22:01:44Z")

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> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#):
>
> I’m fairly certain that there were unmanned probes before Apollo 11, and Apollo 8 was close enough to show us what it looked like. I understand your point but would be surprised that a telescope couldn’t differentiate between tall jagged peaks or soft rolling mounds.
> 
> I think the default look for all extraterrestrial landscape in media would be stalagmite-type structures. They’re just more interesting to look at.

(a) Neither the unmanned probes nor Apollo 8 provided ground-level views of the lunar surface.

(b) Have you ever looked at the Moon’s surface through a telescope? You can’t see the relief when the Sun is high in the lunar sky, and the shadows when the Sun is low are greatly exaggerated.

(c) How would stalagmites ever form on the lunar surface? 😕

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