Friday, April 19, 2024

Enjoying Mare Imbrium (evening)

On Friday, April 19, the lunar terminator will have moved beyond the western rim of Mare Imbrium, the Sea of Rains. That dark, circular feature dominates the northwestern quadrant of the moon's Earth-facing hemisphere. The mare is the moon's largest impact basin, measuring more than 715 miles (1,145 km) in diameter. It was formed during the late heavy bombardment period
approximately 3.94 billion years ago. Binoculars and backyard telescope
views of Mare Imbrium at this phase will reveal ejecta blankets around its major craters Aristillus, Autolycus, and Archimedes, the nearly-submerged ghost craters Cassini and Wallace, the isolated mountain ranges Recti, Teneriffe, and Spitzbergen, and an interior ring of subtle wrinkle ridges.
The half-circle of Sinus Iridum, the Bay of Rainbows, interrupts Imbrium's western edge.

(Data courtesy Starry Night)
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