|
Credit & Copyright: Alan Friedman
Explanation:
These three ancient, large impact craters lie on the
north
eastern shores of Mare Nubium, the
lunar Sea of Clouds.
Along the top of
the
stark mosaic (left to right) are
the
namesakes of Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus and Arzachel.
The picture offers a remarkably detailed view of the
well-studied
region with shadows emphasizing the large crater central peaks
and slumping walls.
Careful examination also reveals the 110 kilometer long
Straight
Wall, a fault 200-300 meters high, and the intriguing
Davy crater chain.
Overall, the striking moonscape is similar to the final images
recorded by the
Ranger 9 spacecraft, before
it crashed into the 108 kilometer wide crater Alphonsus
in March of 1965.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: crater - Moon
Publications with words: crater - Moon
See also:
- APOD: 2026 August 25 Á Earths Shadow Visualized with Lunar Eclipses
- APOD: 2026 May 11 Á Moon Setting Behind Teide Volcano
- APOD: 2026 May 9 Á Messier Craters in Stereo
- APOD: 2026 April 15 Á The ISS Transits the Moon
- APOD: 2026 April 11 Á Artemis II: Flight Day 6
- The Bay of Rainbows
- Earthset from Orion