May 12, 2012

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Copernicus Almost From Lunar Orbit

LPOD-May12-12.jpg
image by Michael Wirths, Baja California, Mexico

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera team has been issuing a series of high resolution images that document the varieties of impact melt morphologies. That is very important but Mike with his Baja spaceship is demonstrating that you don't need an orbiter to acquire magnificent images of melt deposits. Most impressive are the tongues of melt outside the arc of Copernicus' rim from Fauth (twin craters at bottom) to the mountain at the 9 o'clock position. Just south of the mountain is a superb tongue of melt that built up levees on its flanks as it flowed. Once this classic example of a melt flow is recognized it is easier to see others on the arc toward Fauth. Melt ponds are also visible at various places inside the rim on terrace tops. And the smooth northwest quadrant of Copernicus' floor is veneered by impact melt. Along the southern edge of the image secondary craters and their characteristic herringbone pattern of wrap around ejecta are beautifully seen, while the ridge and furrow continuous ejecta is well seen along the top of the image. If we had been able to take images like this in the 1950s scientists might have decided that they didn't need to go to the Moon.
Chuck Wood

Technical Details
2012/04/30 at 20:47 PST; taken with 18" Starmaster dob (Zambuto optics) a Lumenera Infinity 2-2 camera, 2.5X Televue Powermate barlow and R/IR filter.
Processed with AviStack and PS CS.

Related Links
Rükl plate 31

Yesterday's LPOD: High Waves or Low Faults On the Sea of Rainbows

Tomorrow's LPOD: Luminous Shades of Gray



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