Geological Mapping of Lunar Crater Lalande: Topographic Configuration, Morphology and Cratering Process
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Sky and Telescope
SkyandTelescope.com The Lunar 100 By Charles A. Wood Just about every telescope user is familiar with French comet hunter Charles Messier's catalog of fuzzy objects. Messier's 18th-century listing of 109 galaxies, clusters, and nebulae contains some of the largest, brightest, and most visually interesting deep-sky treasures visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Little wonder that observing all the M objects is regarded as a virtual rite of passage for amateur astronomers. But the night sky offers an object that is larger, brighter, and more visually captivating than anything on Messier's list: the Moon. Yet many backyard astronomers never go beyond the astro-tourist stage to acquire the knowledge and understanding necessary to really appreciate what they're looking at, and how magnificent and amazing it truly is. Perhaps this is because after they identify a few of the Moon's most conspicuous features, many amateurs don't know where Many Lunar 100 selections are plainly visible in this image of the full Moon, while others require to look next. a more detailed view, different illumination, or favorable libration. North is up. S&T: Gary The Lunar 100 list is an attempt to provide Moon lovers with Seronik something akin to what deep-sky observers enjoy with the Messier catalog: a selection of telescopic sights to ignite interest and enhance understanding. Presented here is a selection of the Moon's 100 most interesting regions, craters, basins, mountains, rilles, and domes. I challenge observers to find and observe them all and, more important, to consider what each feature tells us about lunar and Earth history. -
10Great Features for Moon Watchers
Sinus Aestuum is a lava pond hemming the Imbrium debris. Mare Orientale is another of the Moon’s large impact basins, Beginning observing On its eastern edge, dark volcanic material erupted explosively and possibly the youngest. Lunar scientists think it formed 170 along a rille. Although this region at first appears featureless, million years after Mare Imbrium. And although “Mare Orien- observe it at several different lunar phases and you’ll see the tale” translates to “Eastern Sea,” in 1961, the International dark area grow more apparent as the Sun climbs higher. Astronomical Union changed the way astronomers denote great features for Occupying a region below and a bit left of the Moon’s dead lunar directions. The result is that Mare Orientale now sits on center, Mare Nubium lies far from many lunar showpiece sites. the Moon’s western limb. From Earth we never see most of it. Look for it as the dark region above magnificent Tycho Crater. When you observe the Cauchy Domes, you’ll be looking at Yet this small region, where lava plains meet highlands, con- shield volcanoes that erupted from lunar vents. The lava cooled Moon watchers tains a variety of interesting geologic features — impact craters, slowly, so it had a chance to spread and form gentle slopes. 10Our natural satellite offers plenty of targets you can spot through any size telescope. lava-flooded plains, tectonic faulting, and debris from distant In a geologic sense, our Moon is now quiet. The only events by Michael E. Bakich impacts — that are great for telescopic exploring. -
March 21–25, 2016
FORTY-SEVENTH LUNAR AND PLANETARY SCIENCE CONFERENCE PROGRAM OF TECHNICAL SESSIONS MARCH 21–25, 2016 The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center The Woodlands, Texas INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT Universities Space Research Association Lunar and Planetary Institute National Aeronautics and Space Administration CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute Eileen Stansbery, NASA Johnson Space Center PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIRS David Draper, NASA Johnson Space Center Walter Kiefer, Lunar and Planetary Institute PROGRAM COMMITTEE P. Doug Archer, NASA Johnson Space Center Nicolas LeCorvec, Lunar and Planetary Institute Katherine Bermingham, University of Maryland Yo Matsubara, Smithsonian Institute Janice Bishop, SETI and NASA Ames Research Center Francis McCubbin, NASA Johnson Space Center Jeremy Boyce, University of California, Los Angeles Andrew Needham, Carnegie Institution of Washington Lisa Danielson, NASA Johnson Space Center Lan-Anh Nguyen, NASA Johnson Space Center Deepak Dhingra, University of Idaho Paul Niles, NASA Johnson Space Center Stephen Elardo, Carnegie Institution of Washington Dorothy Oehler, NASA Johnson Space Center Marc Fries, NASA Johnson Space Center D. Alex Patthoff, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Cyrena Goodrich, Lunar and Planetary Institute Elizabeth Rampe, Aerodyne Industries, Jacobs JETS at John Gruener, NASA Johnson Space Center NASA Johnson Space Center Justin Hagerty, U.S. Geological Survey Carol Raymond, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lindsay Hays, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Paul Schenk, -
List of Targets for the Lunar II Observing Program (PDF File)
Task or Task Description or Target Name Wood's Rükl Target LUNAR # 100 Atlas Catalog (chart) Create a sketch/map of the visible lunar surface: 1 Observe a Full Moon and sketch a large-scale (prominent features) L-1 map depicting the nearside; disk of visible surface should be drawn 2 at L-1 3 least 5-inches in diameter. Sketch itself should be created only by L-1 observing the Moon, but maps or guidebooks may be used when labeling sketched features. Label all maria, prominent craters, and major rays by the crater name they originated from. (Counts as 3 observations (OBSV): #1, #2 & #3) Observe these targets; provide brief descriptions: 4 Alpetragius 55 5 Arago 35 6 Arago Alpha & Arago Beta L-32 35 7 Aristarchus Plateau L-18 18 8 Baco L-55 74 9 Bailly L-37 71 10 Beer, Beer Catena & Feuillée 21 11 Bullialdus, Bullialdus A & Bullialdus B 53 12 Cassini, Cassini A & Cassini B 12 13 Cauchy, Cauchy Omega & Cauchy Tau L-48 36 14 Censorinus 47 15 Crüger 50 16 Dorsae Lister & Smirnov (A.K.A. Serpentine Ridge) L-33 24 17 Grimaldi Basin outer and inner rings L-36 39, etc. 18 Hainzel, Hainzel A & Hainzel C 63 19 Hercules, Hercules G, Hercules E 14 20 Hesiodus A L-81 54, 64 21 Hortensius dome field L-65 30 22 Julius Caesar 34 23 Kies 53 24 Kies Pi L-60 53 25 Lacus Mortis 14 26 Linne 23 27 Lamont L-53 35 28 Mairan 9 29 Mare Australe L-56 76 30 Mare Cognitum 42, etc. -
The Multiplexed Squid Tes Array at Ninety Gigahertz (Mustang)
University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations Spring 2011 The Multiplexed Squid Tes Array at Ninety Gigahertz (Mustang) Phillip M. Korngut University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the External Galaxies Commons, and the Instrumentation Commons Recommended Citation Korngut, Phillip M., "The Multiplexed Squid Tes Array at Ninety Gigahertz (Mustang)" (2011). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 317. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/317 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/317 For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Multiplexed Squid Tes Array at Ninety Gigahertz (Mustang) Abstract The Multiplexed SQUID/TES Array at Ninety Gigahertz (MUSTANG) is a bolometric continuum imaging camera designed to operate at the Gregorian focus of the 100m Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in Pocahontas county, West Virginia. The combination of the GBT's large collecting area and the 8x8 array of transition edge sensors at the heart of MUSTANG allows for deep imaging at 10'' resolution at 90GHz. The MUSTANG receiver is now a facility instrument of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory available to the general astronomical community. The 3.3mm continuum passband is useful to access a large range of Galactic and extra-Galactic astrophysics. Sources with synchrotron, free-free and thermal blackbody emission can be detected at 3.3mm. Of particular interest is the Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect in clusters of galaxies, which arises from the inverse Compton scattering of CMB photons off hot electrons in the intra-cluster medium. In the MUSTANG band, the effect is observationally manifested as an artificial decrement in power on the sky in the direction of the cluster. -
A Study About a Lunar Dome Near Hortensius: Morphometry and Mode of Formation
47th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2016) 1005.pdf A study about a lunar dome near Hortensius: Morphometry and mode of formation. M. Wirths1, R. Lena2 , A. Mallama3 - Geologic Lunar Research (GLR) Group. 1km 67 Camino Observatorio, Baja California, Mexico; [email protected]; 2 Via Cartesio 144, sc. D, 00137 Rome, Italy; [email protected]; 314012 Lancaster Lane, Bowie, MD, 20715, USA, [email protected] Introduction: Lunar mare domes formed during the later stages of volcanic episode on the Moon, char- acterized by a decreasing rate of lava extrusion and comparably low eruption temperatures, resulted in the formation of effusive domes. Important clusters of lu- nar domes are observed in the Hortensius/Milichius/T. Mayer region in Mare Insularum and in Mare Tranquillitatis around the craters Arago and Cauchy. The region west of Copernicus extending from Hortensius to Milichius and to Tobias Mayer contains large numbers of lunar domes and cones, evidence of past volcanism on the lunar surface [1-3]. A compre- hensive map of the area was produced by GLR group, including the six lunar domes north of Hortensius and three lower domes to the south of Hortensius [4]. Fig. 1. Telescopic image acquired on May 1, 2012, at 03:44 In this contribution we provide an analysis of an- UT with a 450 mm aperture Starmaster driven Dobsonian other low dome to the east of Hortensius, termed H11, (M. Wirths). Morphometric properties of the domes H1-H7 located at 26.87° W and 6.88° N and with a prominent have been examined in previous studies [1, 3]. -
Orbital Infrared Observations of Lunar Craters and Possible Implications For
Proc. Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf 9th (1978), p. 2857~2883. Printed in the United States of America 1978LPSC....9.2857S Orbital infrared observations of lunar craters and possible implications for impact ejecta emplacement PETER H. SCHULTZ Lunar and Planetary Institute, 3303 NASA Road 1, Houston, Texas 77058 WENDELL MENDELL NASA-Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058 Abstract-The Apollo 17 Scanning Infrared Radiometer experiment revealed that the ejecta deposits of large lunar craters (D > 3 km) typically exhibit uniform night-time temperatures comparable to or less than those of the surrounding mare plains. This thermal signature implies that the surface of ejecta deposits displays block sizes typically smaller than 30 cm and that the non-blocky surface extends out to three crater radii from the crater rim. Local thermal anomalies occur within certain ejecta facies and appear to correlate with smooth-surfaced units believed to represent solidified impact melt. Beyond three crater radii from the rim, secondary craters and ray systems typically lack thermal enhancements and in certain areas are cooler than the surrounding mare surfaces. The characteristically non-blocky nature of these ejecta deposits is in contrast to what might be expected from simply extrapolating unmodified block-size distributions around small terrestrial craters. Four mechanisms are proposed to account for the observed thermal signatures. First, primary-crater ejecta fragmentation and locally excavated debris, which will be smaller than impacting debris, reduce the original size-distribution of ejected materials. Second, interactions between ejecta further comminute debris and, third, may result in sorting out of the smallest size fraction. Fourth, large impact craters generate a greater fraction of small-size ejecta as a result of both greater shock pressures over a larger fraction of the crater and longer residence time within the transient crater prior to ejection, thereby resulting in greater commi- nution. -
Water on the Moon, III. Volatiles & Activity
Water on The Moon, III. Volatiles & Activity Arlin Crotts (Columbia University) For centuries some scientists have argued that there is activity on the Moon (or water, as recounted in Parts I & II), while others have thought the Moon is simply a dead, inactive world. [1] The question comes in several forms: is there a detectable atmosphere? Does the surface of the Moon change? What causes interior seismic activity? From a more modern viewpoint, we now know that as much carbon monoxide as water was excavated during the LCROSS impact, as detailed in Part I, and a comparable amount of other volatiles were found. At one time the Moon outgassed prodigious amounts of water and hydrogen in volcanic fire fountains, but released similar amounts of volatile sulfur (or SO2), and presumably large amounts of carbon dioxide or monoxide, if theory is to be believed. So water on the Moon is associated with other gases. Astronomers have agreed for centuries that there is no firm evidence for “weather” on the Moon visible from Earth, and little evidence of thick atmosphere. [2] How would one detect the Moon’s atmosphere from Earth? An obvious means is atmospheric refraction. As you watch the Sun set, its image is displaced by Earth’s atmospheric refraction at the horizon from the position it would have if there were no atmosphere, by roughly 0.6 degree (a bit more than the Sun’s angular diameter). On the Moon, any atmosphere would cause an analogous effect for a star passing behind the Moon during an occultation (multiplied by two since the light travels both into and out of the lunar atmosphere). -
Glossary of Lunar Terminology
Glossary of Lunar Terminology albedo A measure of the reflectivity of the Moon's gabbro A coarse crystalline rock, often found in the visible surface. The Moon's albedo averages 0.07, which lunar highlands, containing plagioclase and pyroxene. means that its surface reflects, on average, 7% of the Anorthositic gabbros contain 65-78% calcium feldspar. light falling on it. gardening The process by which the Moon's surface is anorthosite A coarse-grained rock, largely composed of mixed with deeper layers, mainly as a result of meteor calcium feldspar, common on the Moon. itic bombardment. basalt A type of fine-grained volcanic rock containing ghost crater (ruined crater) The faint outline that remains the minerals pyroxene and plagioclase (calcium of a lunar crater that has been largely erased by some feldspar). Mare basalts are rich in iron and titanium, later action, usually lava flooding. while highland basalts are high in aluminum. glacis A gently sloping bank; an old term for the outer breccia A rock composed of a matrix oflarger, angular slope of a crater's walls. stony fragments and a finer, binding component. graben A sunken area between faults. caldera A type of volcanic crater formed primarily by a highlands The Moon's lighter-colored regions, which sinking of its floor rather than by the ejection of lava. are higher than their surroundings and thus not central peak A mountainous landform at or near the covered by dark lavas. Most highland features are the center of certain lunar craters, possibly formed by an rims or central peaks of impact sites. -
Facts & Features Lunar Surface Elevations Six Apollo Lunar
Greek Mythology Quadrants Maria & Related Features Lunar Surface Elevations Facts & Features Selene is the Moon and 12 234 the goddess of the Moon, 32 Diameter: 2,160 miles which is 27.3% of Earth’s equatorial diameter of 7,926 miles 260 Lacus daughter of the titans 71 13 113 Mare Frigoris Mare Humboldtianum Volume: 2.03% of Earth’s volume; 49 Moons would fit inside Earth 51 103 Mortis Hyperion and Theia. Her 282 44 II I Sinus Iridum 167 125 321 Lacus Somniorum Near Side Mass: 1.62 x 1023 pounds; 1.23% of Earth’s mass sister Eos is the goddess 329 18 299 Sinus Roris Surface Area: 7.4% of Earth’s surface area of dawn and her brother 173 Mare Imbrium Mare Serenitatis 85 279 133 3 3 3 Helios is the Sun. Selene 291 Palus Mare Crisium Average Density: 3.34 gm/cm (water is 1.00 gm/cm ). Earth’s density is 5.52 gm/cm 55 270 112 is often pictured with a 156 Putredinis Color-coded elevation maps Gravity: 0.165 times the gravity of Earth 224 22 237 III IV cresent Moon on her head. 126 Mare Marginis of the Moon. The difference in 41 Mare Undarum Escape Velocity: 1.5 miles/sec; 5,369 miles/hour Selenology, the modern-day 229 Oceanus elevation from the lowest to 62 162 25 Procellarum Mare Smythii Distances from Earth (measured from the centers of both bodies): Average: 238,856 term used for the study 310 116 223 the highest point is 11 miles. -
Science Concept 7: the Moon Is a Natural Laboratory for Regolith Processes and Weathering on Anhydrous Airless Bodies
Science Concept 7: The Moon is a Natural Laboratory for Regolith Processes and Weathering on Anhydrous Airless Bodies Science Concept 7: The Moon is a natural laboratory for regolith processes and weathering on anhydrous airless bodies Science Goals: a. Search for and characterize ancient regolith. b. Determine the physical properties of the regolith at diverse locations of expected human activity. c. Understand regolith modification processes (including space weathering), particularly deposition of volatile materials. d. Separate and study rare materials in the lunar regolith. INTRODUCTION The Moon is unmodified by processes that have changed other terrestrial planets, including Mars, and thus offers a pristine history of evolution of the terrestrial planets. Though Mars demonstrates the evolution of a warm, wet planet, water is an erosive substance that can erase a planet‘s geological history. The Moon, on the other hand, is anhydrous. It has never had liquid water on its surface. The Moon is also airless, as opposed to the Venus, the Earth, and Mars. An atmosphere, too, is a weathering component that can distort a planet‘s geologic history. Thus, the Moon offers a pristine history of the evolution of terrestrial planets that can increase our understanding of the formation of all rocky bodies, including the Earth. Additionally, the Moon offers many resources that can be exploited, from metals like iron and titanium to implanted volatiles like hydrogen and helium. There is evidence for water at the poles in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) (Nozette et al., 1996). Such volatiles could not only support human exploration and habitation on the Moon, but they could also be the constituents for fuel or fuel cells to propel explorers to farther reaches of the Solar System (NRC, 2007). -
THE MOON PRE-LAB Using Your Lecture Textbook And/Or Any Other Acceptable Source of Information, Answer Each Question in Complete Sentences
Name: Date: THE MOON PRE-LAB Using your lecture textbook and/or any other acceptable source of information, answer each question in complete sentences. Be sure to define any relevant terms. 1. Explain the following terms relating to lunar surface features. a. Maria (singular “Mare”): b. Highlands: c. Rille: d. Wrinkle Ridge: e. Rays: 2. Explain the following terms relating to processes that shape the lunar surface. a. Tectonic: b. Volcanic: c. Impact: d. Dating by Superposition: 8–1 Name: Partners: Date: THE MOON LAB EXERCISE LUNAR REGIONS In completing this lab, you will view images found on the Astronomy lab website. Your instructor will direct you to the location. The Earth, the Moon and the Sun are the most familiar astronomical objects in the sky. Of these, the Moon has been historically the most studied and most photographed by astronomers. Even a small telescope reveals an incredible profusion of lunar features. The most prominent are the lunar maria, which show as dark smooth areas surrounded by mountains. Almost all of the maria are on the earthside of the Moon and have lower elevation than the lighter highlands. The worksheet is a sketch of the Moon, the meandering lines outline maria and highlands. 1. Examine the images of the near and far sides of the moon on the website. Describe the similari- ties and differences. 2. Look carefully at the image of the near side of the Moon and the map of the moon on your table. Place M’s on the worksheet at the center of the major maria.