If you have ever admired the bright full moon, you might have noticed dark spots on the surface of its disk. It's about famous seas. But what are these formations and did they contain water?
Mysterious satellite of the Earth
Moon located at a distance 384,467 km from Earth and shine brightly in the night sky. Its surface can be seen without the use of magnifiers, and basic binoculars show many interesting details.
Ancient scientists also observed the earth satellite and could notice dark spots for which 40% lunar surface. We are used to correlating everything with earthly characteristics, so we considered that light territories are mainland, and the dark areas seas.
Even Galileo Galilei suspected that these depressions could be filled with water. But for the first time the lunar seas appeared on map Moon in 1652. It was compiled by an astronomer from Italy Giovanni Riccioli and physicist Francesco Grimaldi. But further research with improved instruments made it clear that there was no water in these "seas", but the name itself stuck.
What are we dealing with?
The lunar seas are considered the largest visual details when viewing an earth satellite. This is about lowlands. Characterized by a leveled bottom and filled lava in solid state. This lava appears darker in color than the rest of the surface area.
It is believed that the age of basalt reaches 3-4.5 billion years. AT size the seas stretch out 200-1100 km across and prefer a round shape. On closer examination, one can notice that in some places small mountain heights peek out from under the basalt layer. There are many more crater formations on the mainland.
How did they appear?
Interestingly, on dark side of the moon the number of seas is much more modest, moreover, they are inferior in size. Scientists believe that these formations arose due to a series of collisions. Initially, these were craters, which gradually filled with lava, creating a mass concentrated on the site (mascons).
But in terms of gravity, the continents are inferior to lava accumulations, therefore in mass distribution could arise symmetry. The terrestrial force of gravity, which keeps the hemisphere covered by the seas in our review, also played its role. But on the dark side you can find large pools.
The largest sea on the moon
The largest representative of lunar sea formations is considered Ocean of Storms. The name came from Giovanni Riccioli. Extends in length to 2500 km and has an irregular shape. You can find it on the western side of the lunar "face".
Interestingly, in 1969 a mission module landed on the territory of this sea Apollo 12, where Alan Bean and Charles Conrad came. I also managed to get a few samples The Ocean of Storms, which turned out to be much lighter in color than in the Sea of Tranquility.
P.S
On the Moon you can find many seas, as well as bays, lakes and even swamps. Many intrigue with their names, like the Lake of Happiness or the Swamp of Rotting. Let's hope that one day we will personally consider these formations, but for now we will observe from afar.
Origin of the seas and oceans of the moon
Planetary scientists from Ohio State University (OSU) have explained the origin of the most visible features of the moon's landscape - "seas" and "oceans". Scientists believe that they arose in a collision with an asteroid that crashed into the moon from the opposite side. According to new research, an extremely large object once hit the invisible side of the moon and was able to send a shock wave even through the lunar core to the side of the moon that faces the Earth. The lunar crust there "peeled off" and "burst" in places - and now the Moon has characteristic scars from that long-standing cataclysm. This discovery is of great importance for the future exploration of lunar minerals, and besides, all this will probably help solve some terrestrial geological mysteries associated with the impact on the Earth of collisions with large celestial bodies. Already the first flights of the Soviet lunar stations and the American Apollos showed that the shape of the Moon is far from being an ideal sphere. And the most significant deviations from this sphere are observed in two places at once, and the bulge on the side that always faces the Earth corresponds to a dent on the invisible side of the Moon. However, for a long time it was believed that these surface features are caused only by the influence of Earth's gravity, which "stretched" this hump from the Moon at the dawn of its existence, when the lunar surface was molten and plastic.
Now, Laramie Potts and geology professor Ralph von Frese of Ohio State University have been able to explain these features as ancient asteroid impacts. Potts and von Frese came to this conclusion after studying the data on variations in the gravitational field of the Moon (which in principle allows you to display a map of the lunar "innards" and find indications of the concentration of minerals useful to humans) obtained using NASA's Clementine satellites. " (Clementine, DSPSE) and "Lunar Scout" (Lunar Prospector). It was expected that the material displacements caused by powerful collisions with large celestial bodies with the absorption of the impact energy (these places correspond to huge impact craters on the surface) could also be traced in layers located below the lunar crust, at the level of the mantle (that is, in a vast layer separating the metallic lunar core from its thin outer crust), but no more. However, it turned out that the extensive dents not only correspond to the same bulges on the opposite side of the Moon, but, moreover, there are similar protrusions in the mantle layer - as if squeezed out by some powerful blow coming directly from the lunar interior. It is possible in this way to track the path of shock waves that acted on the lunar interior in a certain selected direction.
Under the lunar surface, where the alleged collision took place, a "concave region" was found, where the mantle deepens into the core. The "dent" in the core is located 700 kilometers below the surface. - Scientists say they did not expect to see traces of the "cosmic catastrophe" so deep. From this it follows that the molten layer could not extinguish the powerful impact of the asteroid - and the wave spread further deep into the moon. Potts and von Frese believe that all the key events that determined the current pattern of the lunar "seas" occurred about 4 billion years ago, during the period when our Moon was still geologically active - its core and mantle were then liquid and filled with flowing magma. . The Moon at that time was located much closer to the Earth than it is now (later it gradually moved away due to tidal interactions), so the gravitational interactions between these celestial bodies were especially strong. When magma was released from the depths of the Moon by collisions with asteroids and created a kind of vast "hill", the earth's gravity seemed to "catch" it and did not release it from its embrace until everything solidified there. So the warped surface on the visible and invisible sides of the Moon and the characteristic internal features that connect the depression and the ledge are a direct legacy of those ancient times that the Moon has never been able to heal. Strange dark valleys - "seas" on the lunar side visible from the Earth are explained by magma that has flowed out to the surface, and so forever and frozen (this is a "frozen ocean of magma", in the words of von Frese). How exactly such vast volumes of magma managed to find their way to the lunar surface remains unclear, but scientists suggest that those powerful cataclysms discussed above may have provoked the appearance of a geological "hot spot" - the concentration of magma bubbles near the surface. After some time, some of the magma contained there under pressure was able to seep through cracks in the crust.
Locating and identifying most of the lunar seas with binoculars or the naked eye is an easy task if you have a good map of the visible side of the moon. Well, what about less noticeable details on the surface of our neighbor in space? Most of them go unnoticed. This month, we'll make amends as we intend to take a look at lunar lakes, bays, and even one swamp. Let's make our way from the lunar east to the lunar west. Before the idea of sending astronauts to the Moon evolved into the Apollo program, most of the literature used a geocentric (Earth-bound) frame of reference. In the old system, the western border of the Moon was near the western horizon of the Earth. Likewise, the eastern edge looked out over our eastern horizon. In 1961, the International Astronomical Union decided to swap them. This is contrary to what we see, but makes obvious sense when viewed from the side of the moon. In this new coordinate system, an astronaut on the Moon would see the sunrise in the east and the sunset in the west. Therefore, when a surface detail is considered to be east of another, we are talking about lunar east, which coincides with earth's west, i.e. for an observer in the Northern Hemisphere, the detail will be located on the right. Similarly, the west points to the lunar west, which looks to our east, i.e. to the left for an observer north of the earth's equator. Clear?
The first stop on our journey is the moon swamp known as Palus Somnii, Swamp of Sleep. Lunar swamps, like the seas, are lava-covered areas, but much smaller in size. The Swamp of Sna covers approximately 177x233 km, bordering the east coast of Mare Tranquilitatis, the Sea of Tranquility. Look for a small grayish area that looks a bit like a diamond with rounded corners. Unlike the sea, which looks quite smooth through binoculars, the Swamp of Sleep has a relief surface. From the Swamp of Sleep, it would be logical to go to Lake of Dreams. Head north across the Sea of Tranquility to the Sea of Clarity, Mare Serenitatis. Note the tributary, a kind of extension in the northeast (remember, this is the lunar northeast), which seems to flow into the sea. This is Lacus Somniorum, the Lake of Dreams, an irregularly shaped plateau with indistinct boundaries. If you see the Poseidon crater spanning 95 km across, then you are in the right place. Lake of Dreams merges in the north with Lake of Death, Lacus Mortis. Sounds ominous! It is difficult to say where Dreams end and Death begins - this pair is separated only by a barely noticeable line of ripples. Visual clue: Lake of Death is located directly west of the conspicuous Atlas and Hercules craters. The best time to look for these three sights is when the Sun is high above them, between the 5th and 10th day after the new moon. Our next stop is the bridge between the Sea of Tranquility and the Sea of Nectar, Sinus Asperitatis, Gulf of Severity. Look for a well-marked pair of craters along its southern shore. The closest of the two is Theophilus, and the second one is called Kirill. Two hundred kilometers in diameter, the Bay of Severity probably got its name from the parallel mountain ranges that cross the area, and also because of the hilly terrain that borders it from the east and west. To see even a hint of them, you will certainly need giant binoculars. sinus media, Central Gulf corresponds to its name, as it is located almost in the center of the disk of the moon. This small sea, spanning just over 350 km, lies just north of the crater line. Ptolemy,Gigolo and Arzakhel, which are visible through 10x binoculars. Look for the Central Gulf and the craters between the 7th and 9th day after the new moon.
One of the most striking sights of the Moon is the Sinus Iridum, Rainbow Bay. On the tenth day after the new moon, the terminator, running across the disk of the moon, sheds sunlight on Oceanus Procellarum, the Ocean of Storms. Rising slowly over the largest of the lunar seas, the Sun illuminates an unusual claw-like appendage on the northeast coast of the ocean. Initially, Rainbow Bay was a full-fledged crater, but after another impact, which led to the formation of the Sea of \u200b\u200bRains, lava poured over the southern wall and created the bay that we admire today. Two capes - Heraclid and Laplace, mark the open entrance of the bay, and the Jura Mountains outline its northern perimeter. And finally, while the moon is not yet full moon, let's find Sinus Roris, Dew Bay. This is not a standalone attraction, but rather an extension of the Ocean of Storms, which "flows" into the Sea of Cold. The area has its own name because it has a higher albedo (reflectivity) than both seas. The size varies depending on the source cited, but most indicate a size on the order of 200 km. I hope you enjoy these underrated attractions throughout June and the year as a whole. And if you want to get more binocular targets on the moon, be sure to re-read my
The sizes of the seas are from 200 to 1100 km in diameter. The seas are lowlands (for example, the Sea of Rains is located 3 km below the surrounding area) with a flat bottom, with the presence of folds and peaks of small mountain peaks filled with hardened lava. The surface of the seas is covered with a dark substance - basalt-type lava, once erupted from the bowels of the moon. At the bottom of the Grimaldi crater, near the edge of the Ocean of Storms, ilmenites, rocks containing oxygen, were found by ground methods of research. There are few craters in the seas. The largest lowland is named the Ocean of Storms. Its length is 2000 km. The marginal zones of the seas, which resemble bays, as well as dark depressions in the form of lakes, were given names corresponding to their appearance. Around the seas are ring-shaped mountain ranges. The Sea of Rains is surrounded by the Alps, the Caucasus, the Apennines, the Carpathians, the Jura. Sea of Nectar - Altai and Pyrenees mountains. The Eastern Sea is surrounded by the Cordillera and the Roca Mountains. In the seas, sometimes there are ledges - faults; the most famous ledge - Straight Wall is located in the Sea of Clouds.
There are few seas on the far side of the Moon and they are small in size. There is an assumption that the sea formations on the Moon were formed as a result of only a few collisions. The craters formed as a result of impacts filled with lava and gave rise to mascons. Lava rocks are heavier than continental ones, which could cause an asymmetry in the distribution of the lunar mass, as a result of which the attraction of the Earth forever fixed the "marine" hemisphere of the Moon in the direction of our planet. The far side of the Moon is characterized by "pools" - very large ring structures with a diameter of more than 300 km. The East Sea, the Sea of Moscow and others have two annular shafts - external and internal, in a diameter ratio of 2/1. Sometimes the inner rings are badly destroyed.
Some facts about the lunar seas
Names of seas, bays, lakes and swamps on the visible side of the Moon
Russian name - Latin name
Names of the seas on the far side of the moon
Russian name - Latin name
| Moon | ||
|---|---|---|
| Physical peculiarities |
Internal structure Gravity Topography Magnetic field Atmosphere | |
| Orbit | Orbit Phases New Moon Full Moon Solar Eclipse Lunar Eclipse Tide | |
| Lunar surface |
Selenography Visible side Reverse side Seas Impact Crater South Pole Basin - Aitken Shackleton Ice Peak of Eternal Light Space weather Brief lunar phenomena | |
| Selenology | Geology (chronology) Mineralogy Giant impact theory KREEP ALSEP Lunar laser ranging Late heavy bombardment Lunar rocks Regolith Meteorites | |
| Study | Exploration Apollo Project Colonization Lunar Conspiracy | |
| Other | Calendar Month Crescent Moon Mythology Art Moon Illusion Origin | |
| See also: Solar system Satellites of the planets ((AMS Lunar Exploration)) | ||
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See what "Moon Seas" is in other dictionaries:
The name given to large, dark, nearly flat areas of the Moon's surface below its mean level. The lunar seas occupy 17% of the Moon's surface; they are covered with rocks similar to terrestrial basalts, whose age is 3 4.5 billion years ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
The name of large dark almost flat areas of the moon's surface, located below its average level. The lunar seas occupy 17% of the Moon's surface; they are covered with rocks similar to terrestrial basalts, whose age is 3 4.5 billion years. * * * LUNAR… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Plain spaces on the surface of the Moon (See Moon), having the appearance of extended dark spots ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Name large dark, almost flat areas of the Moon's surface, located below its cf. level. L. m. occupy 17% of the surface of the moon; they are covered with rocks similar to terrestrial basalts, age 3 4.5 billion years ... Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary
Black Sea Sea is a part of the World Ocean, isolated by land or elevations of underwater relief. Some seas are part of another sea (for example, the Aegean is part of the Mediterranean). The term is also used to refer to very large ... ... Wikipedia
View of the Moon during a lunar eclipse Diagram of a lunar eclipse A lunar eclipse is an eclipse that occurs when the Moon enters the cone of shadow cast by the Earth. The diameter of the spot of the Earth's shadow at a distance of 363,000 km (the minimum distance of the Moon from the Earth) ... ... Wikipedia
lunar obelisks- 8 objects of the correct conical shape, reminiscent of the famous Cleopatra's Needle in New York (USA), located on a flat area of the lunar Sea of Tranquility on an area of 165 x 225 meters. E. Moon obeliskes D. Mondobelisken … Explanatory UFO dictionary with equivalents in English and German
This Saturday, April 28, is Astronomy Day. It has been celebrated by amateur astronomers since the 19th century with mass displays of the starry sky. These shows were timed to coincide with astronomical events such as the appearance of comets or solar eclipses.
Over time, Astronomy Day began to be celebrated in the spring in the first days after the new moon, when the Moon is in the first quarter phase, high in the sky and it is convenient to observe it.
To the Day of Astronomy website will tell readers eight interesting facts about the moon.
1. lunar city
In 1822, the astronomer Franz von Gruythuisen from Munich, looking at the moon through a telescope, saw a city on it. The city, called Vallverk, is 30 by 30 kilometers in size, located on the shores of the Znoya Bay and surrounded by a fortress wall. Inside - a lattice of shafts, reminiscent of a web. There is a citadel on the edge of the city. Gruytuizen did not see the inhabitants, but he could see the roads and animal tracks.
The astronomer's discovery caused a sensation. Gruithuisen went on a tour showing sketches of the lunar city to kings and scholars.
The city of Wallverk is located on the shores of Znoya Bay and is surrounded by a fortress wall.
The famous mathematician Gauss, inspired by the discovery of the lunar city, even offered to contact the inhabitants of Wallwerk from Siberia - to dig a network of huge channels, fill them with kerosene and set them on fire so that this signal could be seen on the moon. Contemporaries, however, said that Gauss was a man with a sparkling sense of humor.
2. Lunar eclipse for the inhabitant of the moon
During a lunar eclipse, a person who is on the moon sees a total solar eclipse, because at that moment the Earth obscures the Sun for him.
- SEE PHOTO:
There are at least two lunar eclipses every year. The next one is scheduled for June 4th. Unfortunately, in the coming years, lunar eclipses will hardly be visible. A total lunar eclipse will only occur on April 15, 2014.
3 . Lunnohembassiesabout
According to the Outer Space Treaty, celestial bodies cannot belong to any state. But in 1980, Californian Dennis Hope decided that this document did not apply to individuals. And he declared himself the owner of all objects of the solar system, except for the Earth and the Sun. He founded the company "Lunar Embassy" ("Lunar Embassy") and began to trade plots of "his" possessions, mainly on the Moon.
Plots on the dark side of the moon are not for sale
On average, a plot of 1 acre (0.4 ha) of the Moon costs $15-20. Representative office of "Lunar Embassy" in Ukraine sells plots at a price of 900 UAH per acre. Upon purchase, a property agreement, a map of the Moon with a mark of the purchased plot and a Lunar Constitution are issued.
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Plots on the dark side of the moon are not for sale. Also, the site where the astronauts landed is not for sale - Hope wants to make a national reserve there. Land on the moon is owned by John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Ronaldo and more than 2 million other people.
Lots on the Moon are also traded by the Lunar Registry and smaller firms, many of which resell the land purchased from the Lunar Embassy.
4. Moon caves
More recently, it turned out that there are caves on the moon. The first was discovered by the Japanese Kaguya probe near the Marius Hills. Scientists believe that the cave was formed by lava flows. Its width at the entrance is 65 meters. Presumably, the length of the tunnel can reach several tens of kilometers, and the height - 20-30 meters.
On the surface of the Moon, several more such holes are visible, which may be entrances to caves. Such underground tunnels can serve the good cause of the colonization of the moon, as they protect from radiation and extreme cold. It is believed that the temperature inside the lunar caves is about 35 degrees below zero, while on the surface it can drop to -160 degrees.
- READ:
5. Fairy Seas on the Moon
On the visible side of the Moon, there are oceans, seas, lakes, and marshes without water. The Seas were discovered in the 17th century by the astronomer Giovanni Riccioli. He, like many other scientists of that time, was sure that the surface of the Moon was similar to the earth's and the dark spots were filled with water. In fact, these are just lowlands filled with lava.
The lunar seas have such poetic names that it seems that this is not a gloomy desert area, but a fabulous planet. Here is the Sea of Nectar, the Sea of the Serpent, the Sea of Plenty, the Ocean of Storms, the Bay of Love, the Bay of the Rainbow, the Lake of Death, the Lake of Tenderness, the Swamp of Rotting, the Swamp of Sleep.
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The Known Sea is called so because the American Ranger-7 probe landed on it, and man first set foot on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility, which is equal in area to our Black Sea.
On the far side of the moon there are only two seas - Moscow and Dreams. They were first photographed by the Soviet interplanetary station.
6 NASA Avatars
As a first step in space colonization, NASA decided to send "avatars" to the moon. Avatars are robots with a telepresence device. To remotely control the robots, NASA employees will wear special suits similar to those shown in science fiction films about virtual reality.
7. False Moon
People can observe such optical illusions as a false moon and a lunar halo.
In the language of science, a false moon is called a paraselena. The British call her moon dog - moon dog. Due to the refraction of light, it sometimes seems that there is one or two smaller "moons" in the sky next to the Moon.
The halo looks like a glowing ring around the moon. It is also caused by the refraction of light by ice crystals in cirrus clouds at an altitude of 5-10 km. People's meteorologists believe that the halo around the moon - to rain.
8. Moon and money
It is said that the phases of the moon influence the behavior of financiers. A few years ago, analysts at the Australian investment bank Macquarie Securities studied the fluctuations in global financial markets and found that profits on a waxing moon were almost twice as high as profits during a full moon.
Profits on the growing moon are almost twice as high as profits during the full moon
"Using data from 1988 on various types of indices, we came to the conclusion that at the junction of the lunar months there is a powerful surge in profits," The Times quotes a report.
There is also evidence that the end of the lunar cycle is fraught with economic disasters. Thus, the analytical company CLSA found that the catastrophic collapses of world financial markets - in 2008, 1997, 1987, 1929 - occurred on the 27th day of the lunar cycle.
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