Contains:  Solar system body or event
Langrenus Crater, Bruce Rohrlach

Langrenus Crater

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)
Langrenus Crater, Bruce Rohrlach

Langrenus Crater

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)

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Description

So many features for us "lunatics" to explore. This is Langrenus crater on the eastern shores of Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity). Wreathed in beautiful wall terraces, Langrenus is of Late Eratosthenian age (1-2 billion years old). One of only 7 craters known to have troctolite within its central peaks (equal parts olivine and plagioclase). An equally interesting fact is that it is the site of one of the best documented lunar transient events (Icarus, V146, Issue 2 pp. 430-443). The French astronomer Audouin Dollfus noted that the northern floor of Langrenus temporarily brightened when observed in polarized light on December 30, 1992 and January 2, 1993. His interpretation was that the transiently bright polarized areas were produced by outgassing that lifted dust above the crater floor. This is a well-documented observation, and is made very believable by enhanced concentrations of radon at Langrenus (and nearby Fecunditatis) detected during the Apollo 15 and 16 missions. The fact that the central peaks of Langrenus sampled deep crustal rocks (troctolites) likely has some connection to the proposed degassing.

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Langrenus Crater, Bruce Rohrlach