Caroline Herschel Crater

Exposed mare basalt layering in the wall of Caroline Herschel crater. LROC NAC M175475137R, image width is 350 m [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Outcrops of layered mare basalt are visible in the interior wall of Caroline Herschel crater (located at 34.48°N, 328.71°E in western Mare Imbrium). The mare basalt layers were exposed during the excavation phase of the impact which created this 13.7 km diameter crater. Some debris from the crater rim and the wall have fallen over the layers but the structure of the outcrop is still preserved. The crater is superposed on a north-south trending wrinkle ridge which is visible in the LROC WAC context image below. This crater is named after Caroline Herschel, an astronomer and half of the sister/brother science team with astronomer Sir William Herschel. Caroline discovered several comets, and in 1828 the Royal Astronomical Society awarded her their Gold Medal for her work. She made observations, kept detailed records, performed complex mathematical calculations, and polished her own telescope mirrors. Caroline has multiple comets named after her as well as the lovely lunar crater in today's Featured Image. 

WAC context image of Caroline Hershel crater. The white asterisk marks the area of basalt layering in the Featured Image. Image width is 48 km [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Explore the entire NAC frame to see the beauty of the Moon! 

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Published by Sarah Braden on 23 May 2013