Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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written by a professional astronomer.
2024 August 30
Southern Moonscape
Image Credit & Copyright: Lorand Fenyes
Explanation: The Moon's south pole is toward the top left of this
detailed telescopic moonscape. Captured on August 23, it looks across
the rugged southern lunar highlands. The view's foreshortened
perspective heightens the impression of a dense field of craters and
makes the craters themselves appear more oval shaped close to the lunar
limb. Prominent near center is 114 kilometer diameter crater Moretus.
Moretus is young for a large lunar crater and features terraced inner
walls and a 2.1 kilometer high, central peak, similar in appearance to
the more northerly young crater Tycho. Mountains visible along the
lunar limb at the top can rise about 6 kilometers or so above the
surrounding terrain. Close to the lunar south pole, permanently
shadowed crater floors with expected reservoirs of water-ice have made
the rugged south polar region of the Moon a popular target for
exploration.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
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