This mosaic
of about 30 images depicts the lunar north pole. The European Space Agency's
SMART-1 spacecraft took these pictures using the Advanced Moon Imaging
Experiment (AMIE) instrument, between May 2005 and February 2006.
The mosaic
covers an area of about 500 by 370 miles (800 by 600 km). The near side of the
moon facing Earth is at the bottom of the mosaic, while the far side is at the
top.
Several notable
lunar craters are visible in the mosaic. Byrd crater lies at bottom center of
the mosaic (above two distinct craters at the very bottom). Peary, somewhat
indistinct, is above Byrd. Sylvester (the large dark oval patch) is at the left-most edge. Milankovic
(partial) is at the very top; Plaskett, the well-defined circular crater, lies
below and slightly to the left of it.
--ESA and SPACE.com Staff
Credit: ESA/Space-X (Space
Exploration Institute)
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