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CHAMÄLEON + ONJALA OBSERVATORY Moon Images | SITEMAP HOME |
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« The picture shows a detailed labelled image
of the wide area of the Apollo 17 landing site - the last manned moon landing
from 11th to 14th December 1972 (stay on the moon's surface). Crew: Harrison
Schmitt (geologist, scientist), Eugene Cernan (commander landing capsule) and
Ronald Evans (commander moon orbit). On 14 December 1972 at 05:40 UTC Cernan was the last man to leave the lunar surface, which has not been entered again by humans until today. He said goodbye with the words: „if I will make now for some time the last step of a human being of the moon direction earth, then I would like to say, what the history will hold in my opinion: America's challenge today has forged the destiny of tomorrow's man. We now leave Taurus-Littrov as we came once and, if God wills, we will return in peace and hope for all mankind. God save the crew of Apollo 17." |
| The
picture on the right shows a section with Maraldi D and the
Gardner Megadomeplateau. The plateau is located directly
south of the 18 kilometre Gardner crater and east of Maraldi D (67
km). The plateau with a diameter of about 80 kilometres is considered to be the largest shield volcano-like bulge on the front side of the moon. In our opinion, the Gardner Megadome is one of the most impressive examples of the once active lunar volcanism. One can see a large, irregular caldera, a discharge channel and the lava flow onto the already existing lava layer of the Mare Tranquilitatis. Both image sections are labeled: on the left with the craters and on the right the outlines of the caldera, the outflow channel and the lava flow are marked. Recorded on 01. April 2017 at 17:00 UT. The image resolution is below 1,000 meters. |
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| Image | Date | Moon
age - Illumination |
detailed description | |
| "Ancient" Endymion | 01.04. | 4.5d - 27% | The large walle plane Endymion lies embedded in a much
older nameless crater structure, simply called ancient Endymion. The image was
taken under optimal libration conditions and shows
at least 20 small craters on the bottom of Endymion (normally only the 4 big
ones are visible). Above (south) of Endymion (marked in the picture) lies one
of the rare concentric double craters. It has a
diameter of about 10 kilometers and is also nameless. Click here to load a LROimage of the crater directly from above and here a comparison (also LRO) between a normal crater and a concentric double crater. Both are located directly next to each other in the large crater Lavoisier, which is practically not visible from the earth because of its edge proximity. The formation of concentric double craters is still widely misunderstood. |
|
| Apollo 17 | 01.05. | 5.6d - 38% | The next two pictures show the landing site of Apollo 17, the last moon landing in 1972. | |
| Apollo 17 | 02.04. | 5.3d - 35% | The Apollo 17 landing area at sunrise. The mountain
massif Mons Argaeus casts spectacular shadows on the picture.
At the sight of the picture the landing of Apollo 17 in
the middle of the mountains seems to be a very risky
manoeuvre. |
|
| Rima Cleomedes | 29.04. | 3.3d - 15% | The picture shows a version of the Cleomedes crater scaled to 130%. On the floor there is a difficult to observe groove system. Difficult because the grooves are extremely narrow (max 1km wide). It requires a good Illumination situation and also favorableibration conditions. | |
| Cleomedes Dark Halo Crater | 30.04. | 4.3d - 24% | Also Cleomedes in a 100% representation with higher sun position than the previous picture. The groove is almost completely invisible, but there are some so called dark halo craters (marked in the picture). The craters are surrounded by pyroclastic ash, their diameter is about 600 Neter. Other DH craters can be found in Alphonsus, but much larger in diameter. | |
| Montes Phyrenaeus | 30.04. | 4.3d - 24% | At the eastern edge of the Mare Nectaris lie the Montes Phyrenaeus, a mountain range that is rarely seen on moon pictures and casts dramatic shadows at sunrise. | |
| Croizet H | 01.05. | 5.3d - 35% | The next two images show Croizet H (marked in the image), one of the rare concentric double craters observable by amateurs. It lies east of the Mare Nectaris and has a diameter of 10.5 kilometers. The formation of concentric double craters is still largely misunderstood. | |
| Croizet H | 02.04. | 5.6d - 38% | Croizet H (marked in picture) at higher sun position. On both pictures the completely asymmetric radiation system of Petavius B can be seen very well. | |
| Rima Gärtner | 02.04. | 5.6d - 38% | The image shows a boundary region of the moon north of Mare Frigoris under good libration conditions. Rarely photographed are the groove systems Rima Gärtner and Rima Sheepshanks. In the crater Arnold there are two ghost craters similar to depressions. Similar shallow depressions can be found in the craters Albategnius and Ptolemaeus. The individual lava flows in the Mare Frigoris are also very visible. All structures are labeled in the picture. | |
| Endymion | 30.04. | 4.3d - 24% | Endymion under optimal libration conditions. Instead of the usually only 4 visible larger craters, there are about 20 more small craters on the crater floor. The nameless concentric double crater south of Endymion is marked in the picture. | |
| Lacus Mortis | 02.04. | 5.6d - 38% | Lacus Mortis with the large main crater Bürg in the center shortly after sunrise. To the west of Bürg lies a prominent system of grooves and to the southwest a rocky slope (fault) with dramatic shadows. The end of this rock slope changes into a groove like many other such structures, see also the picture Neander Fault and Rupes and Rima Cauchy. | |
| Mare Humboldtanium | 02.04. | 5.6d - 38% | Mare Humboldtanium under best libration conditions. | |
| Pyroclastic Gaudibert 130% Version |
01.05. | 5.3d - 35% | The picture shows the northeastern edge of the Mare
Nectaris with some interesting details. For example, there is the crater
Bohnenberger with a raised crater bottom and a wide groove. To the north there
is a region covered with pyroclastic ash and
directly below the crater Gaudibert, whose bottom is covered and filled with
irregular lava flows. The ghost crater Daguerre and the fresh, asymmetrical ray system of Mädler complete the picture. |
|
| Neander Fault | 30.04. | 4.3d - 24% | A nameless rock slope, which changes into a groove, lies east of the Neander crater. The curvature around the small crater is the rock slope, at the bend point of the structure the slope flattens out and becomes a groove. A rarely photographed structure. | |
| Rupes + Rima Cauchy | 01.04. | 4.5d - 27% | Rupes and Rima Cauchy on the eastern edge of the Mare Tranquilitatis. Very nice examples for a groove system and a mountain slope (similar to Rupes Recta in the Mare Nubium). Rupes Cauchy also flattens to a groove on the northwestern edge. The picture also shows the two large lunar domes Cauchy Omega and Tau and a large dome field northwest of the crater Cauchy. | |
| Catena Taruntius | 30.04. | 4.3d - 24% | A small crater chain southeast of the large Floor Fractured Crater (FFC) Taruntius. The center of the crater floor is partially covered with pyroclastic ash deposits. | |
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