Contains:  Solar system body or event
Copernicus region HiRes mosaic, Marco Lorenzi
Copernicus region HiRes mosaic, Marco Lorenzi

Copernicus region HiRes mosaic

Acquisition type: Lucky imaging
Copernicus region HiRes mosaic, Marco Lorenzi
Copernicus region HiRes mosaic, Marco Lorenzi

Copernicus region HiRes mosaic

Acquisition type: Lucky imaging

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Description

This large lunar panorama is the result of a high-resolution mosaic created from 12 images, covering in total a area on the Moon surface of more than 1200 km per side (750 miles) sampled at 200 meters per pixel at the Moon distance.

In the center of the image is the majestic Copernicus Crater, which is relatively young at 800 million years old. It's also one of the largest, measuring 93 kilometers (58 miles) in diameter, and it's remarkably well-preserved. The crater has a vaguely hexagonal shape with beautifully terraced walls. In its center, instead of a single mountain, you'll discover several peaks and groups of hills. Additionally, it features a complex system of rays radiating outward from the center, consisting of material ejected during the impact that created the crater.

To the east of Copernicus lies the Eratosthenes Crater, a relatively deep lunar impact crater situated at the boundary between the Mare Imbrium and Sinus Aestuum mare regions. This crater, with a width of 60 kilometers, marks the western end of the Montes Apenninus mountain range.

North of Copernicus, you'll find the Montes Carpatus, which gradually disperse to the west (left in the picture), forming sparser hills. Further to the west is Kepler, known for its impressive system of Splash Rays extending over 300 kilometers across the Oceano Procellarum. The ejecta mantle around Kepler appears lighter in contrast to the dark basaltic materials of the surrounding region. Just below Kepler, you can spot the interesting Encke Crater with its low rim and somewhat polygonal shape.

Among the other notable craters in this expansive mosaic are Timocharis, Pytheas, Teinhold, Lansberg, Lalande, and Mösting. These are all terraced craters with diameters ranging from 20 to 30 kilometers (12 to 20 miles), offering a wealth of details.

In addition to these craters, several other fine structures are visible in the mosaic.
Lunar Rimae, which are long, narrow depressions on the lunar surface resembling channels, are present. These rilles can be several kilometers wide and extend for hundreds of kilometers.
Domes, which are shield volcanoes formed by highly viscous lava, are also in view. North of the Hortensius and Milichius craters, you'll encounter two fascinating dome fields, many of which have small craterlets at their summits.

Furthermore, this mosaic includes and highlights three significant lunar landing sites:
> the landing site of Surveyor 1, NASA's first unmanned probe to land on the Moon, on June 2, 1966.
> the landing site of Surveyor 3 and Apollo 12, respectively the third probe part of the Surveyor program to land intact on the Moon (20 April 1967) and the second mission of the Apollo program to bring humans to the Moon on 19 November 1969. Surveyor 3 was visited by Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean who landed nearby and to this day remains the only probe ever visited by humans on another world.
> the landing site of Apollo 14, the eighth manned mission of the Apollo program and the third to land on the Moon (5 February 1971), as well as the first to land in the lunar highlands.

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    Copernicus region HiRes mosaic, Marco Lorenzi
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    Copernicus region HiRes mosaic, Marco Lorenzi
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Copernicus region HiRes mosaic, Marco Lorenzi