Lunar Craters (Tycho, Theophilus and Copernicus)

 

A few months ago I demonstrated how meteors can form craters to my daughter Abby.   It was a fun time as we dropped various size balls with different masses into a casserole dish filled with flour and coco powder.    Check out the video below.

Lets dive deeper in how craters can form on a the surface of a hard-surface planet or moon.   There are three types of craters - explosion, volcanic, and impact.

EXPLOSION CRATERS are a type of craters formed by an explosive event.   These can be naturally-occurring or artificial.    Examples of artificial craters here on Earth can be from an accident on a job-site or craters formed from underground testing of bombs.   The following photo is the Sedan Plowshare Crater.    It was formed 104 kiloton nuclear bomb blast that was located 635 feet below the desert surface in 1962.

National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office Photo Library under number NF-12187.  Public Domain

VOLCANIC CRATERS are formed by the outward explosion or rocks and other materials.    I remember when Mount Saint Helens exploded in 1980, blowing off 1300 feet off the top of that once peaceful mountain.   A large horseshoe crater was created in the explosion.    

Courtesy of USGS.  Public Domain

Courtesy of USGS.  Public Domain

IMPACT CRATERS are created from the impact from a meteor, moon, or even planet.    They are easily observed on the moon through the use of binoculars or a telescope.    Here are a few lunar craters I captured with my telescope the past few months.

TYCHO CRATER

The most prominent and brightest crater that you can observe on the moon is Tycho's Crater (featured in my photo below from May 2023).   This relatively new crater is estimated to be only 108 million years old, based on samples recovered by the astronauts from Apollo 17.

Tycho's rays spread out over the surface of the moon up to 1500 kms (932 miles) away.

THEOPHILUS AND CYRILLUS CRATER

In the picture below on the quarter waxing moon, you can easily see the Theophilus crater pop into view.  Theophilus in Greek translates into the phrase "love of God" or "loved by God".  It was named after the 4th-century Coptic Pope Theophilus I of Alexandria.   This crater has deep walls that measure 4200 meters (13779 feet) - more than 16 times the height of Stone Mountain in Georgia.    It has a triple peaked central mountain in the center.  The crater Cyrillus is just to its south.  It was named after Saint Cyril of Alexandria, a 4th-century Coptic Pope and theologian.   Both Popes made contributions to our understanding of the lunar cycle.

COPERNICUS CRATER

This 93km (57 mile) wide crater features prominent rays that spread over the lunar surface for up to 800 km.  It was named after the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (who developed a Sun-centered model of the universe over Earth-centered universe).  

The Apollo 12 astronauts captured this photo of the crater from their command module.

Photo courtesy of NASA - Lunar and Planetary Institute, Apollo Image Atlas, 70mm Hasselblad Image Catalog, Apollo 12.  Public Domain

As you study the major craters of the moon, you will discover that most of them are named after notable scientists, philosophers, mathematicians, explorers, and astronomers.    The craters mentioned here are all named after individuals that made contributions to our growing knowledge of the moon and our universe.

What is your favorite crater?  Share below! 

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