Figure 4 Analysis

Figure 4 is significant primarily because of its location in the vicinity of the Apollo 12 landing site, and the usual assortment of bright "debris" in the dark sky above. Most noticably, there is a large "spike" very similar to one noted by Hoagland (Martian Horizons, the Journal of the Mars Mission, Vol.2, No.5) over Mare Crisium. It is also reminiscent of an object in figure 5, again above the Lunar horizon.

The sheer volume of these bright objects in the Lunar sky has now become an issue on it's own. Either NASA had big problems with its care and maintenance of the Lunar Orbiter and Apollo photographs (as has been alleged by some debunkers) or there is ALOT of "stuff" hanging in the Lunar sky which ought not to be there.

The "haze" of bright spots was visible and somewhat more pronounced in the source material, but other features, the "spike" for example, were not. The NSSDC negative should provide an excellent comparison between the two disparate data sets, and hopefully show whether these anomalies are merely dust, scratches, or actual Lunar objects.