Aristarchus and Schroters valley | Mikael Svalgaard

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Photographer:

Mikael Svalgaard

Location of Photo:

Denmark

Date/Time of photo:

Jan. 24 - 2013

Equipment:

18" Dobsonian with alt-az drive, Skynyx 2-2M camera for high-res mono and Nikon D300 camera for low-res color

Description:

This region features one of the most unusual geological structures on the Moon, with a strange and complex landscape marked by ancient volcanism (Schröter's Valley, 3.6BYr) and a much younger impact crater (Aristarchus, 500MYr). These processes have given rise to significant variations in surface chemistry and age which can be revealed by enhancing subtle color variations present in the natural view. The area shown here is roughly 200 km across and the smallest visible craters are ~1km in diameter. Details about image acquisition and processing can be found here: http://www.leif.org/mikael/aristarchuscolor.html

Website:

http://www.leif.org/mikael/