ESA title
Crater Zucchius seen by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

SMART-1 close-up on Zucchius crater's central peaks

01/06/2006 1273 views 0 likes
ESA / Science & Exploration / Space Science / SMART-1

This image, taken by the advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) on board ESA’s SMART-1 spacecraft, shows the central peaks of crater Zucchius.

AMIE obtained this image on 14 January 2006 from a distance of about 753 kilometres from the surface, with a ground resolution of 68 metres per pixel.

The imaged area is centred at a latitude of 61.3º South and longitude 50.8º West. Zucchius is a prominent lunar impact crater located near the southwest limb. It has 66 kilometres diameter, but only its inside is visible in this image, as the AMIE field of view is 35 kilometres from this close-up distance.

Because of its location, the crater appears oblong-shaped due to foreshortening. It lies just to the south-southwest of Segner crater, and northeast of the much larger Bailly walled-plain. To the southeast is the Bettinus crater, a formation only slightly larger than Zucchius.

Zucchius formed in the Copernican era, a period in the lunar planetary history that goes from 1.2 thousand million years ago to present times. Another example of craters from this period are Copernicus (about 800 milion years old) and Tycho (100 million years old). Craters from the Copernican era show characteristic ejecta ray patterns - as craters age, ejecta rays darken due to weathering by the flowing solar wind.

The hills near the centre of the image are the so-called ‘central peaks’ of the crater, features that form in large craters on the Moon. The crater is formed by the impact of a small asteroid onto the lunar surface. The surface is molten and, similarly to when a drop of water falls into a full cup of coffee, the hit surface bounces back, it solidifies and then 'freezes' into the central peak.

The name of Zucchius crater is due to the Italian Mathematician and astronomer Niccolo Zucchi (1586-1670).

For more information:

Jean-Luc Josset, AMIE Principal Investigator
SPACE-X Space Exploration Institute
Email: jean-luc.josset @ space-x.ch

Bernard H. Foing, ESA SMART-1 Project Scientist
Email: bernard.foing @ esa.int

Related Links

Highlands and 'mare'  seen by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

Highlands and Mare landscapes on the Moon

26/05/2006 17499 views 19 likes
Read
SMART-1’s view of Crater Hopmann
Science & Exploration

SMART-1’s view of Crater Hopmann: on the shoulder of a giant

03/05/2006 1326 views 1 likes
Read
SMART-1’s view of Crater Hopmann
Science & Exploration

SMART-1’s view of Crater Hopmann: on the shoulder of a giant

03/05/2006 1326 views 1 likes
Read
Mayer and Bond craters seen by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

SMART-1’s view of craters Mayer and Bond

09/03/2006 1155 views 2 likes
Read
Crater De Gasparis as seen by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

Tectonic ‘wrinkles’ in Crater De Gasparis

22/03/2006 1564 views 1 likes
Read
Mayer and Bond craters seen by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

SMART-1’s view of craters Mayer and Bond

09/03/2006 1155 views 2 likes
Read
Lunar crater Billy seen by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

Dark lava floor of crater Billy seen by SMART-1

16/02/2006 2159 views 1 likes
Read
Crater Lichtenberg tracked by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

Crater Lichtenberg and young lunar basalts tracked by SMART…

02/03/2006 1542 views 1 likes
Read
Illustrating the SMART-1 'push-broom' imaging mode
Science & Exploration

SMART-1 uses new imaging technique in lunar orbit

22/12/2005 1371 views 0 likes
Read
SMART-1 view of possible 'peaks of eternal light'
Science & Exploration

SMART-1's dancing shadows at lunar north pole

31/10/2005 1071 views 1 likes
Read
Vallis Alpes on the Moon, seen by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

‘Alpine’ landscape on the Moon

16/09/2005 9054 views 6 likes
Read
SMART-1 view  of Glushko crater
Science & Exploration

SMART-1 views Glushko crater on the Moon

30/08/2005 2953 views 2 likes
Read
Hadley Rille on the Moon, seen by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

SMART-1 views Hadley Rille near Apollo 15 landing site

26/07/2005 2991 views 1 likes
Read
Crater Cassini on the Moon, as seen by SMART-1
Science & Exploration

SMART-1's tribute to Cassini

20/06/2005 1505 views 1 likes
Read
Moon image using AMIE's clear filter
Science & Exploration

SMART-1's first images from the Moon

26/01/2005 3258 views 1 likes
Read
SMART-1 views Middle East and Mediterranean
Science & Exploration

SMART-1 views Middle East and Mediterranean

26/07/2004 931 views 1 likes
Read