Featured Images

Fences on the Moon?

Mysterious farside impact melt deposits, image width 12 kilometers at center, looking west-to-east, north is to the left, M1451669615LR [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 25 Apr 2025

Mons Rümker and the Moon's Volcanic Past

NAC regional mosaic composed of 10 images showing Mons Rümker and the surrounding mare surface. Images acquired between 2012-06-03 to 2016-04-21. Image width is 299 kilometers, centered at 40.80°N, 301.43°E [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State...

Published on 12 Apr 2025

IM-2 Landing Region

The Intuitive Machines IM-2 Nova-C lander (Athena) is currently scheduled to land on Mons Mouton on 6 March 2025 (predicated upon a launch before the 2nd of March). The IM-1 Odysseus landing site is indicated at the center top, and the...

Published on 26 Feb 2025

Firefly Blue Ghost Landing Region

The Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1 spacecraft was launched toward the Moon on January 15th 2025 and is slated to land on March 2nd. The landing region is located in eastern Mare Crisium (white box; 18.56°N, 61.81°E); NAC...

Published on 21 Feb 2025

Young Volcanism?

Enigmatic landform proposed to have formed from relatively young volcanic activity. NAC M1453037761LR, acquired 2023-11-27, incidence angle 71°, slew angle 43°, phase angle 116°, spacecraft altitude 89 km, north is up, image width...

Published on 18 Oct 2024

A Lunar Island Surrounded by Lava

Color-shaded relief map showing the elevations of the Western Crisium Kipuka (WCK) located on the western edge of Mare Crisium. The elevation ranges from -4,218 m (blue) to -3,195 m (red) [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 01 Apr 2024

Luna 25 Impact Crater

During the descent to the surface, the Russian spacecraft Luna 25 experienced an anomaly that caused it to impact into the southwest rim of Pontecoulant G crater on 19 August 2023 11:58 am UTC (14:58 Moscow time). Image is 1100 meters...

Published on 29 Nov 2023

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 31 Aug 2023

Mysteries Remain Frozen in our Celestial Backyard

Traversability conditions and landing site assessment map for the lunar south polar region. The percentage of time that the surface will be illuminated and visible to the Earth is modeled for the expected Artemis timeframe (July 9, 2024...

Published on 13 Jun 2023

Impact Site of the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander

HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander impact site, as seen by LROC the day after the attempted landing. LROC NAC image M1437131607R [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 23 May 2023

Apollo 17 Remains Unchallenged After Fifty Years

Fifty years ago, the Apollo 17 crew concluded a series of human exploration missions that remain, like their footsteps, some of the greatest achievements in human history. Apollo 17 handheld image (AS17-134-20382) of astronaut Harrison...

Published on 10 Dec 2022

Silicic Volcanoes on the Moon

The silicic volcano Mairan T (41.79°N, 311.61°E) stands over 600 meters tall and in stark albedo contrast to the surrounding dark mare basalts of Oceanus Procellarum. The view is from west-to-east, scene is 6.6 kilometers wide, NAC...

Published on 11 Oct 2022

Reiner Gamma: Swirling in Mystery

Reiner Gamma lunar swirl (7.5° N, 301.0°E);  NAC controlled mosaic containing images, M1139307518L/R, M1139300406L/R, M1139286182L/R, M1139293294L/R, and M1108661104R [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 26 May 2022

Apollo 16 50th Anniversary: A New Landscape

A spectacular, labeled view of the Apollo 16 landing site between North Ray and South Ray craters in the Descartes Highlands, a new landscape for the crew and an exciting set of LROC team products to help celebrate the 50th anniversary...

Published on 20 Apr 2022

Traversing the Shackleton de Gerlache Ridge

Amazing oblique view of the rim of Shackleton crater (on the left) and the Shackleton - de Gerlache ridge that runs from middle left to upper right. The south pole is near the small, sharp, bright crater on the rim of Shackleton (left...

Published on 01 Apr 2022

Schrödinger Vent - A Region Rich with Lunar Treats

A digital terrain model (DTM) mosaic of the Schrödinger pyroclastic vent (centered at -75.27°N, 139.29°E - here in Quickmap ) located on the floor of Schrödinger basin where the elevation is relative to the average radius of the...

Published on 04 Mar 2022

Topography of the Taurus-Littrow Valley

Color-shaded relief map of the Taurus-Littrow Valley (APOLLO17 DTM mosaic) made from eleven NAC stereo pairs [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 11 Feb 2022

Saturn 2021

Saturn and Jupiter have been a comforting presence in the evening sky for the past several months. On October 13, 2021, LRO slewed to allow LROC to acquire this magnificent view revealing Saturn and its rings. NAC M1388758232L...

Published on 22 Nov 2021

From the Moon to Jupiter, with Love

Jupiter seen from the Moon, as imaged by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera on 20 August 2021. Two of Jupiter's moons, Io and Europa, can just barely be seen here to the right of Jupiter (keep reading for a labeled version). Scene...

Published on 14 Sep 2021

Apollo 15: A Mission of Many Firsts

Highlights of the Apollo 15 landing site, as seen in LROC NAC image M175252641R. This image has a resolution of 27 cm/px, and shows an area of 262 m by 186 m. The Lunar Module is clearly visible, as are many tracks from the Lunar Roving...

Published on 30 Jul 2021