Topography of the Moon

Topography of the Moon

The topography of the Moon has been measured by the methods of laser altimetry and stereo image analysis, most recently from data obtained during the Clementine mission. The most visible topographic feature is the giant far side South Pole-Aitken basin, which possesses the lowest elevations of the Moon. The highest elevations are found just to the north-east of this basin, and it has been suggested that this area might represent thick ejecta deposits that were emplaced during an oblique South Pole-Aitken basin impact event. Other large impact basins, such as the maria Imbrium, Serenitatis, Crisium, Smythii, and Orientale, also possess regionally low elevations and elevated rims.

Another distinguishing feature of the Moon's shape is that the elevations are on average about 1.9 km higher on the far side than the near side. If it is assumed that the crust is in isostatic equilibrium, and that the density of the crust is everywhere the same, then the higher elevations would be associated with a thicker crust. Using gravity, topography and seismic data, the crust is thought to be on average about nowrap|50 ± 15 km thick, with the far-side crust being on average thicker than the near side by about 15 km.cite journal |last=Mark Wieczorek and 15 coauthors |title=The constitution and structure of the lunar interior |journal=Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry |volume=60 |pages=221–364 |date=2006 |doi=10.2138/rmg.2006.60.3]

See also

* Gravity field of the Moon
* Magnetic field of the Moon
* Mass concentration

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gravitation of the Moon — The gravitational field of the Moon has been determined by the tracking of radio signals emitted by orbiting spacecraft. The principle used depends on the Doppler effect, whereby the line of sight spacecraft acceleration can be measured by small… …   Wikipedia

  • The Topography of the Lungs — Infobox Album Name = The Topography of the Lungs Type = studio Artist = Various artists Released = Recorded = July 13, 1970 Genre = Jazz Length = Label = Incus Producer = Reviews = Last album = This album = Next album = The Topography of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Geology of the Moon — The geology of the Moon (sometimes called selenology, although the latter term can refer more generally to lunar science ) is quite different from that of the Earth. The Moon lacks a significant atmosphere and any bodies of water, which… …   Wikipedia

  • Magnetic field of the Moon — Total magnetic field strength at the surface of the Moon as derived from the Lunar Prospector electron reflectometer experiment. The external magnetic field of the Moon is very weak in comparison to that of the Earth. Other major differences are… …   Wikipedia

  • Colonization of the Moon — Lunar outpost redirects here. For NASA s plan to construct an outpost between 2012 and 2024, see Lunar outpost (NASA). Moonbase redirects here. For other uses, see Moonbase (disambiguation). 1986 artist concept The colonization of the Moon is the …   Wikipedia

  • Exploration of the Moon — Apollo 12 lunar module Intrepid prepares to descend towards the surface of the Moon. NASA photo. The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on …   Wikipedia

  • Man in the Moon — For other uses, see Man in the Moon (disambiguation). Lunar nearside with major maria and craters labeled The Man in the Moon is an imaginary figure resembling a human face, head or body, that observers from some cultural backgrounds typically… …   Wikipedia

  • Orbit of the Moon — Not to be confused with Lunar orbit in the sense of a selenocentric orbit, that is, an orbit around the Moon The Moon completes its orbit around the Earth in approximately 27.3 days (a sidereal month). The Earth and Moon orbit about their… …   Wikipedia

  • man in the moon — a fancied semblance of a human face in the disk of the full moon, so perceived because of variations in the moon s topography. [1275 1325; ME] * * * …   Universalium

  • Observing the Moon — The waxing gibbous Moon as observed from Earth The Moon is Earth s largest natural satellite and the nearest major celestial object. Observing the Moon can be accomplished by using a variety of instruments ranging from the naked eye to large… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”