Contains:  Solar system body or event
Messeier and Messier A, Astroavani - Avani Soares

Messeier and Messier A

Messeier and Messier A, Astroavani - Avani Soares

Messeier and Messier A

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Description

Two of the most unusual lunar impact craters on the moon are east of the landing site of Apollo 11. Messier is an unusual elliptical crater with a very distinct pattern "Butterfly" of ejecta. The Messier Near it is actually a complex structure crater called "doublet", or two small circular craters near one another.

Messier and Pickering (or Messier A as suggested by some "reformers" of the lunar nomenclature) are perhaps the most confusing craters on the moon. Their shapes are not round like usual standard, its parallel rays are mysteries, and its origins, obviously Related have originated much controversy.

Does parallel rays imply the intelligent building a railroad? Did a meteor smashed into the ground creating a crater, formed a tunnel and out the other side forming another crater?

The most ridiculous ideas are the most fun, but remember that they were offered by lunar observers who were completely baffled by this pair of extremely strange craters.

The truth, it seems, is also quite amazing. The answer was discovered by Don Gault, an engineer at NASA scientist and he and his colleagues used a vertical gun to shoot at targets small projectiles at high speeds of several kilometers per second. Their goal was to study the physics of the formation of impact craters. After having successfully made experiments with oblique impacts found that circular craters remain relatively to the impact projectile is not less than 15 degrees above the surface. They were capable of producing non-circular shapes and the odd patterns Messier and Messier A rays with an impact of less than 5 degrees. Additional standards rays were seen spreading like butterfly wings in these extreme impact angles.

The origin of Messier A is more enigmatic. It is possible that Messier A has formed in the same Messier impact event, but there are doubts about the origin of these craters. Suggestions include an impact close to a pre-existing crater or nearly simultaneous impact of two small pieces of the same projectile had little apart before reaching the moon.

Another more fantastic explanation states that the bullet entered at a very low angle across eastern Mare Fecunditatis and dug Messier - note that its faint rays are perpendicular to the long axis of the crater. Part of the projectile ricocheted forward at a slower speed and formed Messier A whose radius was parallel to Messier. Stranger than fiction!

 Messier and Messier The characteristics are complex and geological survey of the area by human operators will clearly be necessary to determine how these craters have formed.

Sources: LPOD / Charles Wood - Apollo Image Archive / Arizona State University

Adaptation: Avani Soares

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Messeier and Messier A, Astroavani - Avani Soares