My Dark Sky

This is just… just… I can’t find a word for it…

I set the image as my wallpaper and suddenly I felt like I was standing on the Moon. Really. Try it, and you know what I meant.

This lunar image is from Kaguya, a Japanese lunar spacecraft currently in orbit around the Moon. It shows the rim of one of the most prominent craters on the Moon – Tycho Crater, named after the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.

Tycho Crater, about 84 km across and 4.6 km deep, is located in the southern hemisphere of our Moon. It is one of the youngest large craters on the near side of the Moon, with spectacular rays that are easily visible in any telescopes. These rays were caused by chunks of rock that were ejected when something hits the Moon. And the freshness of these rays tells us that Tycho is young since there has been little time to erode them. If Tycho were old, these rays may have been eroded or erased by later impacts.

Did you click on the images for the high-res version?  No? You have to click it, really, and in no time you will be transported to the Moon…

This is the rim on the northern part of the crater.

This is the central peak of Tycho Crater, about 2 km high. Central peak is formed when the ground rebounds from the compression shock of the initial impact, similar to drop of water bounds up when dripped into a bowl full of water.

After you finish “reading the brochure”, now is time to “start the tour” – a 3D tour into Tycho Crater! (this is a massive file – 20MB, but is worth the waiting)

Less than one year since it was launched, Kaguya has been bringing us unprecedented images of our nearest companion, and sometime even amazing picture of us. Still, I never have enough… keep them coming Kaguya!

Source: Kaguya Image Gallery

~ by thChieh on July 23, 2008.

Posted in Moon
Tags: Kaguya