July 5, 2004
Insularum Interlude
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Image Credit: Carol Lakomiak |
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Insularum Interlude Mare Insularum is a name that was given 1976 to a relatively poorly defined region south of the Carpathian Mountains ring of the Imbrium basin. Its an area of mare and small hills (thus the Sea of Isles) that are ejecta from the Imbrium impact. Under high Sun, rays from Copernicus can be seen to cross the region, but at lower lighting the two miniature Copernicuses, Lansberg and Reinhold dominate. For reasons unknown, this area has probably the highest concentration of domes on the Moon. The Hortensius domes are nicely visible near the top of this image and others occur to the north and west. Two volcanic collapse pits are visible just south of Hortensius C and E, and a little known fault casts a shadow southeast of Lansberg. Nearby lie the remains of Luna 5, a crashed Soviet spacecraft that failed to achieve its planned soft landing - a feat that finally occurred nearly a year later ( Luna 9 in February, 1966). Technical Details: Related Links: Yesterday's LPOD: Threading the Pillars Tomorrow's LPOD: A Long Graben |
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