March 16, 2009
New View, Old Basin
image by Kaguya Image Gallery
In this recent Kaguya/Selene HDTV image we look north over Grimaldi toward rille-crossed Hevelius near the horizon. Grimaldi, a mare patch totally surrounded by bright highland rocks, is the western limb's equivalent to Mare Crisium. The name Grimaldi refers to the inner ring and contained lava flow of a two-ringed impact basin. A possible smaller third ring is marked - if it exists - by the mare ridge. The strange, steep-edged circular plateau near the top right of Grimaldi seems too unlike a dome to be called one. Perhaps its closest morphologic counterpart is Mons Maraldi. The flat-floored rilles on the right of the image have been partially filled by ejecta from the formation of the Orientale Basin, but it is not clear if they are related to Oceanus Procellarum or to Grimaldi - they occur between the inner and outer rings of the basin. I love these Kaguya/JAXA HD TV images - I hope the Japanese are capturing every piece of lunar landscape and that someday an Oblique Atlas of the Moon will appear!
Chuck Wood
Technical Details
HDTV-WIDE at 2008/12/12 13:56:21(UT)
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