Study of Planetary Processes

Many types of planetary processes have occurred in the past or are currently active on the surface of the Moon, making it an accessible natural laboratory for investigating them. There is lasting geologic evidence of these processes, such as impact cratering, volcanism, space weathering, and tectonism. Present day processes such as active tectonism and seismic activity, mass wasting, and impact cratering make it an ideal target for investigating this surface activity. As a differentiated planetary body, evidence of magma ocean differentiation processes and magmatic activity are also preserved in the geologic record accessible to human and robotic explorers.

Several concentric circles of varying sizes and colors are used to represent the different topography of a lunar crater. A scale bar on the left matches colors with corresponding elevation measurements, which range from -2,220 meters in the center to -1,970 meters on the outer edge. The colors progress from green at the center’s deepest levels to yellow, orange, brown, white, and finally blue at the shallowest outer edge.

This 3D Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of a lunar crater was put together by photogrammetric processing of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) stereo pair images. The result allows scientists to measure and convert the information into this topographic map. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University/Ohio State University

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The image is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes. The smallest of these are small, distant, and faint points of light. The largest of these appear larger, closer, brighter, and more fully resolved with 8-point diffraction spikes. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-like streaks rising from the nebula below. The orangish cloudy formation in the bottom half varies in density and ranges from translucent to opaque. The stars vary in color, the majority of which have a blue or orange hue. The cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks, and valleys – an appearance very similar to a mountain range. Three long diffraction spikes from the top right edge of the image suggest the presence of a large star just out of view.

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