Credit: Alan Friedman
Explanation:
Dark, smooth regions that cover the Moon's
familiar face
are called by Latin names for oceans and seas.
The naming convention is
historical,
though it may
seem a little ironic to denizens of the space age
who recognize the Moon as a mostly dry and airless world,
and the smooth, dark areas as
lava-flooded impact basins.
For example, this elegant lunar vista, a
careful mosaic of telescopic images, looks
across the expanse of the
northwestern Mare Imbrium,
or Sea of Rains, into the
Sinus Iridium - the Bay of Rainbows.
Ringed by the Jura Mountains (montes), the bay is about
250 kilometers across, bounded at the bottom of the rugged
arc by Cape
(promontorium) Laplace.
The cape's sunlit face towers
nearly 3,000 meters above the bay's surface.
At the top of the arc is Cape Heraclides,
at times seen as a moon maiden.
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 |
Январь Февраль Март Апрель Май Июнь Июль Август Сентябрь Октябрь Ноябрь Декабрь |
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
|
Публикации с ключевыми словами:
Moon - Луна
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