Tycho Central Peak – Close-up

The steep slopes and rugged mountaintop of the Tycho central peak jumps out in this close-up, oblique view. One of the many astonishing discoveries from this LROC image is the large boulder (100 m by 120 m) perched on a bench near the top of the peak. How did it get there? It appears to be sitting on top of the impact melt that coats the summit, so it didn’t ride up with central peak. Perhaps it was ejected straight up and then landed on the peak just after it appeared? An interesting mystery for future explorers to unravel.

• Latitude: -43.37°
• Longitude: 348.77°
• Camera: NAC
• Image Width: 3.0 km
• Image(s): M162350671LR
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