Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus and Arzachel
Credit & Copyright: Alan Friedman
Explanation:
These three ancient, large impact craters lie on the north eastern shores of Mare Nubium, the lunar Sea of Clouds. Along the top of the stark mosaic (left to right) are the namesakes of Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus and Arzachel. The picture offers a remarkably detailed view of the well-studied region with shadows emphasizing the large crater central peaks and slumping walls. Careful examination also reveals the 110 kilometer long Straight Wall, a fault 200-300 meters high, and the intriguing Davy crater chain. Overall, the striking moonscape is similar to the final images recorded by the Ranger 9 spacecraft, before it crashed into the 108 kilometer wide crater Alphonsus in March of 1965.
說明:
這三個最古老且最大的隕石坑，位於雲海(Mare Nubium)的 東北海岸 ，雲海是 月球上的十七個月球「海」之一。 這張照片的上方，從左到右依序 命名為 多利買(Ptolemaeus), 阿方薩斯(Alphonsus)以及 阿爾紮切爾(Arzachel)。 這張照片提供隕石坑詳細的資訊， 仔細研究這些陰影區域顯示大隕石坑中心的尖峰以及崩塌的牆。 仔細檢查顯示牆面長達110公里，高約 200-300 公尺，以及令人覺得不可思議的 戴維隕石坑鏈(Davy crater chain)，呈現線性成串的隕石坑。 整體來說，這特殊的月球景觀很雷同於游擊兵九號(Ranger 9)太空船所傳回的影像，在它於1965年三月墜毀於 108 公里寬的阿方薩斯(Alphonsus)隕石坑前。
資料來源: Scientific American
Department of Physics, NCKU
