Ephemeris: 06/13/2024 – The Apollo 11 flag

This is Ephemeris for Thursday, June 13th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 9:29, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:56. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 2:06 tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow is Flag Day. That got me to thinking about the flags that the Apollo astronauts planted on the Moon and what state they are in. We know the Apollo 11 flag was blown down by the blast of the ascent stage engine when they left the Moon because it was planted too close to the lunar module. The other five flags are still standing. However, there’s some speculation as to what color they are. Are the colors bleached out by the ultraviolet of the sun’s light, which is unimpeded on the Moon? The flags may be bleached completely white. There was nothing really special about the flags that NASA used for the Apollo mission so they weren’t especially prepared to withstand the rigors of being out and undiluted sunlight.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Buzz Aldrin saluting the flag on Apollo 11. The flag was procured from government sources and made of nylon. It was folded and rolled up with the flagpole and the horizontal bar that holds the flag out. It was placed in a tube attached to the leg of the lunar module. So when unfurled it turned out to be fairly wrinkly and of course there’s no wind on the Moon to cause the flag to flutter, this is just wrinkles. Credit: NASA, Neil A. Armstrong.

The Apollo 11 flag assembly before being packed. Credit: NASA, via Wikipedia.