Fact Sheet
Shooting the Moon
An almost-full Moon rises behind the Harlan J. Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory. For more than two decades, the telescope was used to bounce laser light off reflectors left on the Moon by Apollo astronauts. Measuring the reflections provided accurate readings of the distance to the Moon, as well as important information about both Moon and Earth. Another McDonald telescope continues the research today, as do other facilities around the world. [Frank Cianciolo/McDonald Observatory]
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