May 23, 2011
Old Land, Big Craters, Basin Fill
image by Bernhard Fink, Berlin, Germany
The 1950s Moon expert Dinsmore Alter called the region shown here the Southern Peninsula, for it was highlands loosely
bounded by mare lavas of Nubium, Medii, Vaporum, Tranquilitatis and Nectaris. Bernhard's image captures the main char-
acteristics of the area: crater upon crater, including many larger ones that are old. This is the most ancient terrain on the
nearside. It is higher than average elevation and has little or no mare lavas at the surface. Deslandres (diameter 256 km)
is second only to Bailly (D = 287) as the largest crater on the nearside, but Bailly may be a two-ring basin, making Deslandres
the largest nearside crater (but it too has subtle topographic hints of an inner ring). Deslandres and others of the old craters
here were pummeled or dusted by ejecta from the formation of most of the nearside basins - that is why so many of the
Southern Peninsula large craters have broad flat floors.
Chuck Wood
Technical Details
16th April 2011; 00:39 - 01:54 UT. Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain 254mm f10 + DMK 21 + Astronomik IR Pro 742nm filter.
Processing: Registax 4, 450/1000; Fitswork, PS CS3.
Related Links
Rükl plate 64 and 65
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