Hubble image archive

Aristarchus Plateau in Ultraviolet Light

Date: Jan 1, 2005
Mission: Hubble Space Telescope
Archive ID: hubblesite-images-2005-29-1777-image

By Kakha Giorgashvili January 1, 2005

The Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys imaged Aristarchus crater and nearby Schroter's Valley rille on Aug. 21, 2005. The Hubble images reveal fine-scale details of the crater's interior and exterior in ultraviolet and visible wavelengths at a scale of approximately 165 to 330 feet (50 to 100 meters) per picture element. Aristarchus crater is 26 miles (42 kilometers) in diameter and approximately 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) in depth, and sits at the southeastern edge of the Aristarchus plateau. The plateau is noted for its rich array of geologic features, including a dense concentration of lunar volcanic rilles (river-valley-like landforms that resulted from the collapse of lunar lava tubes), source vents, and volcanic materials that erupted in giant explosive events. Aristarchus is one of the youngest large craters on the Moon. It probably formed between 100 and 900 million years ago.

Credits

NASA, ESA, and J. Garvin (NASA/GSFC)

Image Details

About The Object
Object Name	moon
Object Description	Earth's Satellite
Distance	The Moon is 238,857 miles (384,403 kilometers) from the Earth.
Dimensions	The Moon has a diameter of 2160 miles (3476 kilometers).
About The Data
Data Description	These HST data are from proposal . NASA's HST Lunar observation team is led by Chief Scientist J. Garvin. The team includes M. Robinson (Northwestern Univ.), D. Skillman (NASA/GSFC), B. Hapke (Univ. of Pittsburgh), C. Pieters (Brown Univ.), M. Ulmer (Northwestern Univ.), J. Bell (Cornell Univ.), and J. Taylor (Univ. of Hawaii).
Instrument	HST>ACS/HRC
Exposure Dates	August 21, 2005
Filters	F250W (250nm), F344N (344nm), F502N (502nm), F658N (658nm)