Planetary and exoplanetary low frequency radio observations from the Moon

We analyze the planetary and exoplanetary science that can be carried out with precursor as well as future low frequency radio instruments on the Moon, assessing the limiting noise sources, comparing them to the average and peak spectra of all planetary radio components as they will be seen from the Lunar surface or orbit. We identify which objectives will be accessible with each class of instrument, and discuss the interest of these observations compared to observations by planetary probes and to ground-based observations by large low-frequency radio arrays. The interest of goniopolarimetry is emphasized for pathfinder missions. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.