Featured Images
Montes Carpatus
The Montes Carpatus region (16.67°N, 332.93°E) contains numerous examples of volcanic materials. The low albedo (dark) patterns may indicate pyroclastic (explosive) material that erupted over 3 billion years ago. Tobias Mayer G crater...
Published on 08 Mar 2018
NAC Anaglyph: Rima Sharp
A bend in Rima Sharp, a sinuous rille that can be traced more than 250 km and spans the boundary between mare-filled Sinus Roris (to the north) and Oceanus Procellarum (to the south) [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 26 Jan 2018
Ilmenite Seen with Ultraviolet Light
The low-reflectance portions of the Moon are composed of mare basalts, which formed via large eruptions of lava in the ancient lunar past. Variations in reflectance within the mare depend on composition, in particular, the abundance of...
Published on 01 Dec 2017
Every Crater on the Moon (Larger than 5 km)
New work from the LROC team resulted in a map of all detectable craters on the Moon between 5 and 20 km in diameter (red circles). When combined with an existing map of craters larger than 20 km in diameter, the differences in the...
Published on 13 Nov 2017
The History of Volcanism in the Moon's Largest Basin
A view of the Moon's largest impact feature, the South Pole–Aitken basin, so named because it stretches between Aitken crater and the south pole. The orthographic projection here centered on the basin (53°S, 191°E) highlights how much...
Published on 02 Nov 2017
'Shaping' Lunar Science with Vector Data
Twenty new shapefiles created by the LROC Team are now available! A few of the shapefiles shown here include mare age units, footprints of digital terrain models (DTMs), and the locations of small geologic features such as...
Published on 18 Jul 2017
New View of Rare Volcanism on the Moon
The Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex central caldera complex was first discovered in LROC images (61.20° N, 100.27° E; WAC mosaic with NAC image M103852760R in the center). Variations in the reflectance values were used to estimate...
Published on 05 Jun 2017
Mons Hansteen: A Window into Lunar Magmatic Processes
Oblique view of Mons Hansteen, located near the southern margin of Oceanus Procellarum at 12.3° S, 309.8° E. This enigmatic landform is thought to be a volcanic complex and one of only a handful of known sites on the Moon composed of...
Published on 10 Apr 2017
NAC Anaglyph: "Bathtub Ring" of Lava
The pit-like Bawa crater (off-center left) is located on the edge of Lacus Solitudinus. The pit is congested with old lava and spiny, razerback ridges. The ridges are composed of debris that slumped from the upslope (western) wall above...
Published on 17 Mar 2017
NAC Anaglyph: Fissures in Bowditch Crater
A complex grouping of fissures in the mare-flooded Bowditch crater that were once likely sites of volcanic eruptions in this area. Bowditch crater is part of the lava-flooded region named Lacus Solitudinus [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State...
Published on 24 Feb 2017
NAC Anaglyph: Briggs Fractures
Fractures in the floor of Briggs crater suggest intrusive volcanic activity , i.e. magma rising from below to push up the crater floor, causing it to crack [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 10 Feb 2017
NAC Anaglyph: Fenyi Fractures
Fractures in the floor of Fenyi crater hint at intrusive magmatic activity [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 19 Dec 2016
NAC Anaglyph: Orientale Rille
A sinuous rille in the Orientale basin exhibits fresh exposures where landslides have occurred along steep portions of the walls [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 18 Nov 2016
Color of the Lassell Massif
A shock of color on the Moon! The Lassell Massif (a so-called "red spot") in Mare Nubium appears orange in the center of this WAC color composite image. The image was derived by assigning red to 689 nm, green to 415 nm, and blue to 321...
Published on 12 Sep 2016
What's Next for LRO?
LRO and LROC will continue to explore the Moon during the mission's third extended mission to understand fundamental processes that shape our Solar System.
Published on 22 Aug 2016
Age of the Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex
A small portion of the Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex (61.20°; N, 100.27°; E) as you would see it from the window of your personal lunar module flying at an altitude of 52 km above the surface, looking to the west-southwest. The...
Published on 29 Jun 2016
Dome in Mare Vaporum
NAC anaglyph of a prominent volcanic dome in Mare Vaporum [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 20 Nov 2015
NAC Anaglyph: Aristarchus Rille
Vallis Schroeteri, a large lunar rille, winds its way across the Aristarchus Plateau. At this location, Vallis Schroeteri is nearly 4.5 km across! Note the smaller, more sinuous rille nested within the larger rille [NASA/GSFC/Arizona...
Published on 13 Nov 2015
Exploring the Lunar Subsurface
What a great place to explore! Two collapsed segments of a lava tube run from the southwest to the northeast. These collapsed segments may provide access to the subsurface, which has never been directly sampled. The average width of the...
Published on 05 Nov 2014
New Evidence For Young Lunar Volcanism!
One of many newly-discovered young volcanic deposits on the Moon (4.330°N, 33.750°E), this example is near the crater Maskelyne. The direction of sunlight is from the right and north is up, NAC M1123370138R [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State...
Published on 12 Oct 2014