Measurements of Lunar Brightness Temperatures at Multiple RadioBands Using a Radio Telescope

The moon is the nearest celestial object from the earth. The moon reflects sunlight at optical wavelengths and radiates energy at infrared and microwave wavelengths. Brightness temperature can represent the intensity of radio emission. Dielectric constant,specific heat,and conductivity of lunar regolith can be inferred from the lunar brightness temperatures,with such results useful for understanding the structure of lunar regolith. Furthermore,an antenna pointed toward or nearly toward the moon will result in an increase in system noise,which needs to be considered in designing radio links to lunar probes. We first describe the mechanism of the lunar radio emission. The instruments,methods,and results of the observations probing the moon using radio telescopes are then reviewed. We also discuss the development of measurements of the lunar microwave brightness temperatures in China.