Credit & Copyright: Wes Higgins
Explanation:
The Moon's
south pole is near the top of this
sharp telescopic view looking across the
southern
lunar highlands.
Recorded on August 3rd
from Tecumseh,
Oklahoma, planet Earth,
the foreshortened perspective heightens the impression of a dense
field of craters
and makes the craters themselves appear
more oval shaped.
The prominent crater in the foreground, Moretus,
has a diameter of 114 kilometers and lies
just west (left) of the Moon's central meridian.
For large
lunar craters, Moretus is
young and
features terraced inner walls and a 2.1 kilometer high,
bright central peak, similar in appearance to the more northerly
crater Tycho.
Just to the right of Moretus is the 95 kilometer diameter
crater Curtius.
Curtius has older, rounded walls marked by smaller,
more recent impact craters.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
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