Featured Images

Aitken Crater Constellation Program Region of Interest

A lobate scarp in the mare basalts of Aitken crater on the lunar farside (arrows). Aitken crater is one of the fifty regions of interest in NASA’s Constellation Program. The smooth mare basalts that flooded the floor of Aitken crater...

Published on 12 Jan 2010

Wrinkle Ridge Near Montes Teneriffe

Boulders perched atop a wrinkle ridge in Mare Imbrium west of the Montes Teneriffe. Image width is 2 km, NAC frame M102264014RE [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 29 Dec 2009

Peary Crater: Greetings from the North Pole of the Moon

A junction between the rims of three craters on the floor of Peary crater near the lunar north pole is evident in this NAC image (M101955359L). Note the mottled texture of the regolith. Peary is a key exploration site for future...

Published on 24 Dec 2009

Moon or Abstract Expressionism?

Seeing small areas of the Moon at 50 cm per pixel often presents unexpected views, and sometimes it is hard to interpret the geology at first glance, much less what is up and what is down! What are the white streaks? How did they get...

Published on 22 Dec 2009

Fresh Copernican Crater

Subset of NAC Image M112162602L showing landslides (bottom) covering impact melt on the floor (top) of a fresh Copernican-age crater at the edge of Oceanus Procellarum and west of Balboa crater. Image width is 550 m [NASA/GSFC/Arizona...

Published on 21 Dec 2009

Vallis Alpes

A bottleneck at the start of the lunar sinuous rille within Vallis Alpes formed several morphologic features including (from left to right) a lava pond, a breached dam, and an island in the rille. Image width is 3.3 km, image resolution...

Published on 17 Dec 2009

Impact Melt Flows on Giordano Bruno

Frozen impact melt flows on the ejecta blanket of the young impact crater Giordano Bruno (22 km diameter). The image is about 600 m across and the flows are about 50-100 m wide (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University).

Published on 15 Dec 2009

Debris flows I

Debris flow extending down the southwest wall of Janssen K crater (a highlands crater about 16 km in diameter). Image width is 570 meters (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University).

Published on 04 Dec 2009

Cluster of farside secondary craters

Cluster of secondary craters help geologists determine the relative ages of features, even when they are separated by great distances. Image width is 630 meters [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 23 Nov 2009

Central Peak of Rutherfurd

LROC NAC view of boulders, on the floor of Rutherfurd crater, about to disappear into the shadows of dusk. Image width is 510 meters [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 20 Nov 2009

Mountains of the Moon

Most mountains on the Earth are formed as plates collide and the crust buckles. Not so for the Moon, where mountains are formed as a result of impacts. Images taken looking across the landscape rather than straight down really bring out...

Published on 17 Nov 2009

Dark Craters on a Bright Ejecta Blanket

Dark materials excavated by later small impacts show up clearly on the bright ejecta of a small lunar crater (800 meters in diameter) to the west. Image width is 640 meters [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 16 Nov 2009

High Noon at Tranquility Base

As the Apollo 11 Lunar Module (LM) neared the surface, Neil Armstrong could see the landing area was right on the rough bouldery ejecta of West crater. He had to change the flight plan and fly the LM westward to find a safe landing...

Published on 09 Nov 2009

Ejecta Blanket Features

Interactions between the mobilized material excavated during impact and the pre-existing surface formed dune-like and trough-like features in the ejecta blanket of Galvani B, a 15-km diameter crater. North is up, image resolution is...

Published on 06 Nov 2009

Landslides in Marius Crater

Landslide deposits seen on the steep interior slopes of Marius crater, image is 510 meters wide [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 05 Nov 2009

More Impact Melt!

Frozen impact melt flows on the floor of Moore F, a farside highlands crater. Image width 600 m, 0.61 m/pixel,  NAC image M110383422LE [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 30 Oct 2009

The Floor of Saha E

Diverse textures on the floor of Saha E on the lunar farside. Image width is 1.08 km [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 27 Oct 2009

Epigenes A

A plethora of boulders surrounds braided flows of impact melt along the inside wall of crater Epigenes A. As the melt moves toward the crater floor (direction indicated by white arrow), the flow buries and moves boulders. Epigenes A is...

Published on 23 Oct 2009

Bright Boulder Trail

High-albedo marks on the lunar surface left by a boulder bouncing down the northeast wall of farside highlands crater Moore F. Image width is 610 meters [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 21 Oct 2009

Illumination comparison of a mare crater

Same crater from two LROC NAC frames under very different lighting. On the left the Sun was midway to the horizon and on the right the Sun was high, approaching noon. Under lower Sun, surface roughness is quite evident; under higher sun...

Published on 20 Oct 2009