Featured Images

A Lunar Valentine

A Valentine from the Moon [Arizona State University].

Published on 14 Feb 2019

Chang'e 4 Rover Comes into View

The Chang'e 4 rover is now visible to LROC! Just beyond the tip of the right arrow is the rover and the lander is to the right of the tip of the left arrow. The image appears blocky because it is enlarged 4x to make it easier to see the...

Published on 08 Feb 2019

First Look: Chang'e 4

Arrows indicate position of Chang'e 4 lander on the floor of Von Kármán crater. The sharp crater behind and to the left of the landing site is 3900 meters across (12,800 feet) and 600 meters (1970 feet) deep. Image was shrunk by more...

Published on 06 Feb 2019

Chang'e 4 Lander Coordinates

Following the Chang'e 4 descent frames (CNSA/CLEP) to the surface makes it easy to find the exact landing spot in a NAC image, which was taken before the landing. Note that the NAC image is rotated so north is down to match the Chang'e...

Published on 11 Jan 2019

On the Farside!

Safe on the farside, Chang'e 4 set down somewhere in this LROC image obtained 17 July 2010. The lines connect craters seen in the Chang'e 4 descent image (CNSA/CLEP) with the same craters seen in the LROC image. Image width 2700 meters,...

Published on 03 Jan 2019

Von Kármán Crater: Awaiting A Visitor

Von Kármán crater (186 kilometer diameter), a treasure house of geologic landforms! LROC Wide Angle Camera mosaic, five degree latitude and longitude grid [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 02 Jan 2019

First to See the Farside

First photograph (BW) taken of the famous Apollo 8 Earthrise sequence, the following images were acquired with color film [AS08-13-2329, NASA].

Published on 24 Dec 2018

Mount Marilyn: A Lunar Love Story

Mount Marilyn, with its distinctive triangular shape, served as an important navigation landmark for the Apollo 11 astronauts. Portion of LROC Wide Angle Camera mosaic, 138 km wide [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 21 Dec 2018

Fractured Crater

Interior of Komarov crater (24.59°N, 152.25°E; 85 kilometers diameter), near the southern edge of Mare Moscoviense, on the lunar farside. Image 15 km wide across center, LROC NAC M1263901757LR [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 15 Nov 2018

Another Layered Target

Copernicus crater central peak reveals the complexity of the lunar crust through distinct layering and patchy surface brightness. Image 3 km wide,  M1261372886LR [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 04 Oct 2018

Layered Target

Spectacular view across the rim of Wallach crater (5700 meter diameter), acquired when LRO was 93 kilometers above the surface, M1236317761LR [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 11 Sep 2018

Aristarchus Crater

The Aristarchus crater (40 kilometer diameter, 23.73°N, 312.51°E) and plateau is one of the most geologically complex areas on the Moon. In this amazing picture, the LRO spacecraft slewed 62° (west-to-east) looking across the crater....

Published on 04 Aug 2018

Another Eclipse!

LROC WAC mosaic centered at 22.0°N and 277.5°E showing the Earth's shadow during a partial lunar eclipse on June 26, 2010. It takes LRO two hours to orbit the Moon so only during one orbit was the spacecraft in the full shadow, or...

Published on 26 Jul 2018

Another Lunar Enigma

Ina (18.66°N, 5.30°E) is one of the most enigmatic landforms on the Moon. First discovered in Apollo-era photographs, then intensely studied with modern observations, its nature is still unknown. The Sun is shining right-to-left, 40...

Published on 20 Jun 2018

Towering Peak

The summit of the unnamed peak in the foreground (50.2° S, 236.6° E) has an elevation of 6710 meters, about 7000 meters of relief relative to the low point at the bottom of the image. The two peaks on the horizon, 200 kilometers in the...

Published on 15 Jun 2018

South Massif Landslide

By lunar standards South Massif is a relatively modest mountain, but with a rich history (geologic and exploration). The massif is about 7000 meters across at the base and 2300 meters tall; M1266925685LR, incidence angle 33°, slew angle...

Published on 09 Jun 2018

Hell Q Crater

Recent impact craters are some of the most spectacular landforms on the Moon! For example, Hell Q (3.4 kilometers in diameter, 33.0° S, 355.5° E) shows off pristine impact melt that lined the crater walls and pooled in the bottom, now...

Published on 27 May 2018

Montes Carpatus

The Montes Carpatus region (16.67°N, 332.93°E) contains numerous examples of volcanic materials. The low albedo (dark) patterns may indicate pyroclastic (explosive) material that erupted over 3 billion years ago. Tobias Mayer G crater...

Published on 08 Mar 2018

On the Rim!

Spectacular oblique view of the rim of Shackleton crater (21 km diameter, 89.66°S, 129.20°E). While no location on the Moon stays continuously illuminated, three points on the rim remain collectively sunlit for more than 90% of the...

Published on 01 Feb 2018

Eclipse!

Super Moon, Blue Moon, Eclipse! All in one month! Look for a spectacular full Moon eclipsed by the shadow of the Earth on the morning of 31 January. Nearside mosaic composed of hundreds images acquired over a 14 day period...

Published on 30 Jan 2018