1. Explore the web and find a detailed photographic maps of the lunar surface. 2. Search the internet for the information on a lunar atlas land describe the meaning of the following lunar terms and list an example of each.
Reference for this section of the assignment were provided by Luna Society International.
Terra, Terrae: The very large land masses on the moon’s surface; used to describe the lunar highlands.
Mare, Maria: The term(s) mean “ sea.” They are used to describe the circular planes, and low basins, that are comprised of previous basaltic lava flows.
Lacus: “ Lakes” is the actual translation, and describe the smaller plains on the surface of the moon.
Mons, Montes: The term literally means the “ mountains,” that appear on the moon’s surface; the high cliffs primarily caused by impacts
Rupes: This is a uniquely lunar term for a scarp, which is A change in topography along a linear to arcuate cliff The creation of the cliffs are attributed to volcanic, tectonic, degradational, or impact-related processes.
Vallis: This is the lunar term for “ valleys.”
Locate the following surface features on the Moon and record their latitude and longitudes.
The longitudes and latitudes in this section were provided with the help of the Lunar and Planetary Institute and their helpful digital photographic atlas of the moon.
Maria Lat. Long.
a. Mare Serenitatis: 28. 0°N/17. 5°E
b. Mare Imbrium: 32. 8°N/15. 6°W
c. Oceanus Procellarum: 18. 4°N/57. 4°W
d. Mare Nubium: 21. 3°S/16. 6°W
e. Lacus Somniorum: 38. 0°N/29. 2°E
Craters
a. Archimedes: 29. 7°N/4. 0°W
b. Copernicus: 9. 7°N/20. 1°W
c. Kepler: 8. 1°N/38. 0°W
d. Tycho: 43. 4°S/11. 1°W
e. Pitatus: 29. 9°S/13. 5°W
Mountain Ranges
a. Caucasus: 38. 4°N/10. 0°E
b. Apenninus: 18. 9°N/3. 7°W
Mission Landing Site
a. Apollo 11: 0. 7°N/23. 4°E
b. Apollo 17: 20. 2°N/30. 8°E
After viewing these features answer the following questions.
Describe the origin of the lunar maria:
Once upon a time Galileo thought that the mares were the remnants of large oceans, but ultimately they are the actually the locations of, long ago, lava flow.
Examine the number of craters located on the lunar terrae and compare them to the maria . Which area is younger?
The maria are younger than the terrae of the highlands. It is most likely that the lava filled in the low places well after the mountains had formed over long periods of impacts by craters upon craters. (” Lunar Prospector”)
Examine Oceanus Procellarum and Mare Serenitatis. Which one is older?
Although neither are particularly young by any means the ultimate conclusion is that Mare Serenitatis is younger the Procellarum basin.
What is the origin of the bright rays that radiate from craters like Copernicus and Kepler?
Originally thought to be caused from salt in water vapor or volcanic ash or dust are now thought to be the result of fragmented ejecta material. (” Lunar Prospector”)
Examine the Craters Kepler and Mee. Which one is younger in age?
The Mee crater is considered to be very old as it shows the wear and tear of subsequent impacts over many years. In contrast Kepler is considered to be a very young crater in comparison.
Examine the Craters Tycho and Archimedes. Compare the sharpness of their rims with other and determine which one is younger?
Tycho is considered to be a very young crater by comparison to many others. Archimedes on the other hand is much older. That is made apparent by the high walls and smooth floor of the crater, verifying that lava flow poured into the crater and because smaller craters can be seen within the bulk of Archimedes.
References
” Digital lunar orbiter photographic atlas of the moon. .” Lunar and planetary institute. Lunar
and Planetary Institute, 2012. Web. 21 Sep 2012.
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” Lunar Landscape.” Lunar Prospector. NASA, 31 Aug 2001. Web. 21 Sep 2012.
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” The Full Moon Dictionary and Glossary of Lunar Terms.” The Luna Society. Lunar Republic
Society, 2012. Web. 21 Sep 2012. http://www. lunasociety. org/info/glossary. shtml