Lunar 'Permafrost’

LRO surface temperature map of the moon's south polar region. LRO Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment surface temperature map of the south polar region of the moon. Data were acquired during September and October 2009, when south polar temperatures were close to their annual maximum values. The map shows the locations of several intensely cold impact craters that are potential cold traps for water ice, as well as a range of other icy compounds commonly observed in comets. The approximate maximum temperatures at which these compounds would be frozen in place for more than a billion years is shown next to the scale on the right