Featured Images

The Moon's largest impact basin

A crater within a crater within a basin: the interior of the South Pole-Aitken basin is one of the most compelling destinations on the Moon. NAC image M103196768LE; scene width is 520 m [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 13 Jul 2010

Orientale Basin

The Orientale basin is the youngest of the large lunar basins. The distinct outer ring is about 950 km from east-to-west, the full width of the LROC WAC mosaic is 1350 km [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 17 Jun 2010

Hunting for Ancient Lunar Impact Basins

Fig. 1: A lesser-known impact basin, Freundlich-Sharonov, is visible in this Digital Terrain Model (DTM) made from LROC WAC stereo images, and darker shades represent lower elevations than brighter shades. The diameter of the...

Published on 09 Jun 2010

Hertzsprung Constellation Site

Portion of LROC NAC image M112421089RE showing fresh boulders on the inner ring of Hertzsprung basin, thought to be nearly pure anorthosite. Image is approximately 690 m across and the Sun is from the right of the frame (east)...

Published on 27 May 2010

Apollo Basin: Mare in a Sea of Highlands

High resolution LROC image of floor of the Apollo Basin, a large (538 km diameter) double-ringed impact crater in the southern hemisphere of the far side. This image shows part of the boundary between  two flow units within the...

Published on 30 Mar 2010

Chain of secondary craters in Mare Orientale

A small secondary crater chain near the southwestern margin of Mare Orientale, within the Inner Rook Mountains. The ~125-meter-long chain lies within one of the Constellation Program regions of interest in the Orientale multi-ring...

Published on 29 Mar 2010

Two-toned Impact Crater in Balmer Basin: A Reflection of the Target?

Materials excavated during formation of this ~450 m diameter impact crater have an unusual two-toned character, likely a reflection of heterogeneity in the target materials. This crater occurs in Balmer Basin, an area thought to harbor...

Published on 26 Mar 2010

Riccioli Crater: Cracked, Melted, and Draped

High-resolution LROC view of part of the floor of Riccioli Crater, near the center of the Constellation region of interest. The view is centered on the boundary between a spur of the crater's central peak materials (lower right half of...

Published on 04 Feb 2010

Montes Pyrenaeus meets Mare Nectaris

A contact between the dark basalt (left) of Mare Nectaris and the lighter anorthosite highlands (right) of Montes Pyrenaeus runs through the Constellation Program region of interest on the western rim of the Nectaris impact basin. ...

Published on 28 Jan 2010

A Digital Terrain Model of the Orientale Basin

A Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the large Orientale Basin (1100 km diameter), located on the western hemisphere of the Moon, produced from stereo LROC WAC images. The image shows the hill-shaded, color-coded DTM with heights varying...

Published on 20 Jan 2010

Mare Moscoviense Constellation Site

A very subtle mare-highlands boundary in Mare Moscoviense on the lunar farside, near the center of the Constellation Program region of interest. The generalized geologic contact between the mare and the highlands has been highlighted...

Published on 04 Jan 2010