Why Can’t We See The Flags Dropped On The Moon With A Telescope?

With NASA’s Apollo mission in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon. People who have been producing conspiracy theories since then have argued that it is fake and fictionalized as if it were a movie. They also used different arguments(!) while doing this.

While presenting their own arguments, these people questioning what we have, “since this mission has been accomplished, why can’t we see their remains today, why are the flags still not there?” comes up with questions like: Let’s shed some light on this issue together.

First of all, the flags and traces of the landing are still there.

Apollo 11 landing site / NASA

“How do we know that?” Of course, there will be those who wonder. The source of our information here is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft, which orbits the Moon and transmits the details of landforms to Earth.

The vehicle in question captured the shadow of the flag planted on the Moon in recent years and the traces left by astronauts during the Apollo mission.

Apollo 17 landing site / LRO

But when we say that, don’t let the flag photos come to life in your mind. Because only the shadow of the flag stands out in the images captured by LRO. It’s just in pixels.

So why can’t we see the flag itself (or what’s left of it anymore)?

The answer is simple; because the flag is both small and far away. Also, as we know, this flag was not laid on the ground. Instead, it was planted on the surface of the Moon. This means that it is difficult to see itself whether we look with LRO or with our own telescopes.

That’s why the flag in question is noticeable in the above images, thanks to its shadow.

Okay, don’t we have such a big telescope? From here we see other planets, even galaxies. The moon is from here and there

Keck Observatory

Unfortunately, that’s not how things work. When we reach the space level, the Moon looks like it’s here and there, as we said. But this does not change the fact that we are 350 to 400 thousand kilometers from the Moon.

As if this distance is not enough, if you want to see a 125 cm long flag placed vertically on it, you need even more than Hubble.

Even the James Webb Telescope does not even come close to the dimensions required for this job.

Gran Telescopio Canarias

The largest telescope currently on Earth is Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) with a main mirror diameter of 10.4 metres. In Hubble, this diameter drops to 2.4 meters.

James Webb Telescope

The James Webb Telescope, which has opened many new doors for us, has a main mirror diameter of 6.5 meters.

But in order for us to see, or rather distinguish, the flag in question, we need a telescope with a mirror of 200 meters in diameter.

8.2 meter telescope mirror

Not only that. Even if we get this telescope to that size, the flags will only appear as one pixel. In order to increase the resolution (and therefore the size), it will be necessary to equip this telescope with equipment for this. But if you want to see the flags on the Moon, this is roughly the hardware you need.

Those who are curious can find the mathematics of the subject here. It should be noted that the calculations are made by rounding only to see the flag. Well, would you go to this much expense and effort to see a flag that you know is already there and you can see roughly?

So how do we see galaxies?

What makes this possible for galaxies is that they are huge despite being far away. In addition, their brightness also contributes to their being seen by telescopes.

The moon remains small and dark next to these gigantic bright structures.

Do not forget to share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section.

• Sources: Ask an Astronomer, BBC, Azcentral