For many millennia, people have been observing an amazing celestial body called the Earth's satellite - the Moon. The first astronomers noticed dark patches of various sizes on its surface, counting them as seas and oceans. What are these spots really? Lunar seas and craters are integral bizarre landforms of the Earth's satellite surface. Visible to the naked eye, they have attracted scientists around the world for centuries.
Characteristics of the Moon as a satellite of the Earth
The Moon is the closest to the Sun and the only satellite of our planet, as well as the second well-visible celestial body in the sky. This is the only astronomical object that has been visited by humans.
There are several hypotheses for the appearance of the moon:
- The destruction of the planet Phaethon, which collided with a comet in the orbit of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Part of its fragments rushed to the Sun, and one to the Earth, forming a system with a satellite.
- During the destruction of Phaeton, the remaining core changed its orbit, "turning" into Venus, and the Moon is the former satellite of Phaeton, which the Earth captured into its orbit.
- The moon is the surviving core of Phaethon after its destruction.
With the first telescopic observations, scientists were able to see the moon much closer. At first, they perceived the spots on its surface as water spaces similar to those on Earth. Also, through a telescope on the surface of the Earth's satellite, you can see mountain ranges and bowl-shaped depressions.
But over time, when they learned about the temperature on the Moon, reaching + 120 ° C during the day and -160 ° C at night, and about the absence of the atmosphere, they realized that there could be no talk of water on the Moon. Traditionally, the name "Lunar seas and oceans" has remained.
A more detailed study of the Moon began with the first landing of the Soviet Luna-2 spacecraft on its surface in 1959. The subsequent Luna-3 spacecraft made it possible for the first time to capture its reverse side, which remains invisible from Earth, for the first time. In 1966, the structure of the soil was established with the help of the Lunokhod.
On July 21, 1969, a significant event took place in the world of astronautics - the landing of a man on the moon. These heroes were Americans Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin. Although in recent years, many skeptics have been talking about the falsification of this event.
The moon is located from the Earth at a huge distance by human standards - 384 467 km, which is approximately 30 times the diameter of the globe. In relation to our planet, the Moon has a diameter slightly more than a quarter of the Earth, makes a complete revolution around it in an elliptical orbit in 27, 32166 days.
The Moon consists of crust, mantle and core. Its surface is covered with a mixture of dust and rocky debris, formed from constant collisions with meteorites. The atmosphere of the Moon is very rarefied, which leads to sharp fluctuations in temperatures on its surface - from -160 ° C to + 120 ° C. At the same time, at a depth of 1 meter, the temperature of the rock is constant at -35 ° C. Due to the thin atmosphere, the sky on the moon is permanently black, and not blue, as on Earth in clear weather.
Moon surface map
Observing the Moon from the Earth, even with the naked eye one can see light and dark spots of various shapes and sizes on it. The surface is literally dotted with craters of various diameters, from a meter to hundreds of kilometers.
In the 17th century, scientists decided that the dark spots were lunar seas and oceans, believing that there is water on the moon, just like on Earth. Light areas were considered dry land. The map of the seas of the moon and craters was first drawn by the Italian scientist Giovanni Riccioli in 1651. The astronomer even gave them his own names, which are still used today. We will learn about them a little later. After Galileo discovered the mountains on the Moon, they began to give names in the likeness of the Earth.
Craters are special ring mountains called circuses, also named after the great scientists of antiquity. After the discovery and photographing by Soviet astronomers using spacecraft of the far side of the Moon, craters with the names of Russian scientists and researchers appeared on the map.
All this is detailed on the lunar map of both hemispheres, used in astronomy, because a person does not lose hope not only to land on the moon again, but also to build bases, establish a search for minerals and create a colony for full-fledged living.
Mountain systems and craters on the Moon
Craters on the Moon are the most common landform. These multiple traces of meteorite and asteroid activity over millions of years can be seen on a clear full moon night without the aid of optical instruments. On closer examination, these works of space art are striking in their originality and grandeur.
History and origins of "moon scars"
Back in 1609, the great scientist Galileo Galilei constructed the world's first telescope and was able to observe the Moon at multiple magnifications. It was he who noticed all kinds of craters on its surface, surrounded by "ring" mountains. He called them craters. Now we will find out why there are craters on the Moon and how they formed.
All of them were mainly formed after the emergence of the solar system, when it was subjected to bombardment of celestial bodies left after the destruction of the planets, which rushed through it in huge numbers at an insane speed. Almost 4 billion years ago, this era ended. The Earth got rid of these consequences due to atmospheric influences, but the Moon, devoid of an atmosphere, did not.
Astronomers' opinions about the origin of craters have constantly changed over the centuries. Considered such theories as volcanic origin and the hypothesis about the formation of craters on the moon with the help of "space ice". A more detailed study of the lunar surface, which became available in the 20th century, nevertheless proves, in its overwhelming majority, the shock theory from the impact of a collision with meteorites.
Description of lunar craters
Galileo, in his reports and works, compared lunar craters with the eyes on the tails of peacocks.
The ring-shaped appearance is the most important feature of the lunar mountains. You can't find such people on Earth. Outwardly, the lunar crater is a depression, around which high round shafts rise, with which the entire surface of the Moon is dotted.
Lunar craters bear some resemblance to terrestrial volcanic craters. Unlike the terrestrial ones, the tops of the lunar mountains are not as sharp, they are more round in shape with an oblong shape. If you look at the crater from the sunny side, you can see that the shadow of the mountains inside the crater is larger than the shadow outside. From this we can conclude that the bottom of the crater is below the very surface of the satellite.
The sizes of craters on the Moon can vary in diameter and depth. The diameter can be both scanty, up to several meters, and huge, reaching more than one hundred kilometers.
The larger the crater, the deeper, respectively. The depth can reach 100 m. The outer wall of large "lunar bowls" over 100 km rises above the surface up to 5 km.
Of the relief features that distinguish lunar craters, the following can be distinguished:
- Inner slope;
- Outer slope;
- The depth of the crater bowl itself;
- System and length of beams radiating from the outer shaft;
- The central peak at the bottom of the crater, which is found in large ones, more than 25 km in diameter.
In 1978, Charles Wood developed a kind of classification of craters on the visible side of the Moon, differing from each other in size and appearance:
- Al-Battani C - a spherical crater with a sharp wall, up to 10 km in diameter;
- Bio - the same Al-Battani C, but with a flat bottom, from 10 to 15 km;
- Sozigen - impact crater 15 to 25 km in size;
- Trisnecker - a lunar crater up to 50 km in diameter, with a sharp peak in the center;
- Tycho - craters with a terrace-like slope and a flat bottom, over 50 km.
The largest craters of the moon
The history of the exploration of lunar craters can be read by the names given by their researchers. As soon as Galileo discovered them with a telescope, many scientists who tried to create a map came up with their names for them. The lunar mountains Caucasus, Vesuvius, Apennines appeared …
The names of the craters were given in honor of the scientists Plato, Ptolemy, Galileo, in honor of St. Catherine. After the publication of the map of the reverse side by Soviet scientists, a crater appeared. Tsiolkovsky, Gagarin, Korolev and others.
The largest crater officially listed is Hertzsprung. Its diameter is 591 km. It is invisible to us, as it is located on the invisible side of the moon. It is a huge crater with smaller ones. This structure is called multi-ring.
The second largest crater is named after the Italian physicist Grimaldi. Its diameter is 237 km. Crimea can be freely located inside it.
The third huge lunar crater is Ptolemy. Its width is about 180 km across.
Oceans and seas on the moon
Lunar seas - it is also a bizarre form of relief of the satellite's surface in the form of huge dark spots, attracting the eyes of more than one generation of astronomers.
Concept of sea and ocean on the moon
For the first time the seas appeared on the maps of the moon after the invention of the telescope. Galileo Galilei, who first examined these dark spots, suggested that they were bodies of water.
Since then, they began to be called seas and appeared on maps after a detailed study of the surface of the visible part of the moon. Even after it became clear that there is no atmosphere on the Earth's satellite and there is no possibility of the presence of moisture, they did not fundamentally change.
Seas on the Moon - strange dark valleys on the visible part of it from Earth, represent huge low-lying areas with a flat bottom, filled with magma. Billions of years ago, volcanic processes left an indelible mark on the relief of the lunar surface. Vast areas stretch from 200 to 1000 km across.
The seas seem dark to us because they reflect sunlight poorly. The depth from the surface of the satellite can reach 3 km, which can boast the size of the Sea of Rains on the Moon.
The largest sea is called the Ocean of Storms. This lowland stretches for 2000 km.
The visible seas on the Moon are located within the ring-shaped mountain ranges, which also have their own names. The Sea of Clarity is located near the Serpentine Ridge. Its diameter is 700 km, but it is not remarkable for that. Of interest are the different colors of lava that stretch along its bottom. A large positive gravity anomaly has been discovered in the Sea of Clarity.
The most famous seas, bays and lakes
Of the seas, one can single out such as the sea of Humidity, Abundance, Rains, Waves, Clouds, Islands, Crisis, Foam, Poznennoe. On the far side of the moon there is the Sea of Moscow.
In addition to the only Ocean of Storms and Seas, the Moon has bays, lakes and even swamps, which have their own official names. Let's consider the most interesting ones.
The lakes received such names as the lake of Reverence, Spring, Oblivion, Tenderness, Perseverance, Hatred. The bays include Fidelity, Love, Tenderness and Good Luck. The swamps have corresponding names - Rot, Sleep and Epidemic.
Interesting facts about the lunar seas
There are some facts related to the seas on the surface of the Earth's satellite:
- The Sea of Tranquility on the Moon is known for the fact that it was on it that a person's foot first set foot. In 1969, American astronauts conducted the first landing on the moon in human history.
- The Rainbow Bay is famous for the exploration of the Lunokhod-1 rover near it in 1970.
- At the Sea of Clarity, the Soviet Lunokhod-2 conducted its surface studies.
- In the Sea of Plenty, the probe Luna-16 in 1970took the lunar soil for a sample and delivered it to Earth.
- The Poznannoe Sea became famous for the fact that in 1964 the American probe "Ranger-7" landed here, which for the first time in history received a photo of the lunar surface at close range.
What is the lunar sea - look at the video:
The seas and craters of the Moon, thanks to modern research and images, are very detailed on the map of the lunar surface. Despite this, the satellite of the Earth keeps in itself a lot of secrets and mysteries that still have to be solved by man. The whole world is eagerly awaiting the dispatch of the first colony, which will lift the veil of this amazing place in our solar system a little more.
