Contains:  Solar system body or event
Mare Humorum & craters of Gassendi, Mersenius, Doppelmayer, Hippalus, Marco Lorenzi

Mare Humorum & craters of Gassendi, Mersenius, Doppelmayer, Hippalus

Acquisition type: Lucky imaging
Mare Humorum & craters of Gassendi, Mersenius, Doppelmayer, Hippalus, Marco Lorenzi

Mare Humorum & craters of Gassendi, Mersenius, Doppelmayer, Hippalus

Acquisition type: Lucky imaging

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Description

The Mare Humorum, or Sea of Moisture, is a lunar feature about 400 km (250 miles) in diameter that appears oval to us due to perspective. Like all lunar maria, Humorum's formation began with a large impact that cracks the lunar crust. The depression created by the impact then got filled with lava that gushed out of the cracks in the bottom. The lava bundled during cooling and formed low-profile ridges that appear concentric at the rim of the basin. The ridges are easier to spot in oblique light when they cast shadows.
The northern shore of the sea (top) is marked by the massive crater Gassendi, with within it the network of fractures known as the Rimae Gassendi and a double mountain peak.
The western shore of the sea is bounded by a ‘beach’ of rugged material and a mountain range along which are the large craters of Mersenius (top left) and below the craters of Cavendish and Liebig. The rim of Mersenius is heavily worn, especially in the lower northern part.
On the southern shore of the sea, below, the Doppelmayer crater seems to sink into the lava bed. The lower half of Doppelmayer's rim is well defined, as is its high central peak.
On the eastern shore of the Mare Humorum (bottom right of the image), there are the remains of the crater Hippalus, whose southwest edge, due to subsidence, disappeared into the sea. The area around Hippalus contains the best examples of arcuate grooves to be found on the Moon. Each of these concentric arcs is approximately 3 km (2 miles) wide.

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Mare Humorum & craters of Gassendi, Mersenius, Doppelmayer, Hippalus, Marco Lorenzi