Wednesday, April 9, 2025

The Aristarchus Plateau (all night)

Three prominent craters break up the expanse of Oceanus Procellarum, the widespread dark region on the moon's left-hand side. Large Copernicus is the easternmost of the craters. Its extensive, ragged ray system intermingles with that of the smaller crater Kepler to its southwest. The small, but very bright crater Aristarchus positioned northwest of them will fall just to the sunny side of the terminator on Wednesday, April 9. Aristarchus occupies the southeastern corner of a spectacular, diamond-shaped plateau. A backyard telescope under high magnification will show features like the large, sinuous rille named Vallis Schroteri. Its snake-like form begins between Aristarchus and the next-door crater Herodotus and meanders across the plateau. One of the most colorful regions on the moon, NASA orbiters have detected high levels of radioactive radon there.

(Data Courtesy of Starry Night)
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