* Astronomy

This mosaic of three images, taken by the advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, shows the crater Mersenius C on the Moon.


Credits: ESA/Space-X

AMIE obtained this sequence on 13 January 2006, from a distance of 1149, 1172, 1195 kilometres from the surface, respectively. The ground resolution ranges from 104 to 108 metres per pixel. All images are located at a longitude of 45.7º West, at latitudes of 21.3º South, 19.7º South and 18.1º South, respectively.
Crater Mersenius C is positioned in the highland area between Mare Humorum and the Oceanus Procellarum. The crater has a diameter of 14 kilometres and is best visible for ground-based observers 4 days after first quarter Moon.
It is named in honour of Marin Mersene, a French philosopher and physicist (1588 - 1648). The crater is surrounded by a system of so-called 'grabens', which are fractures that form when the lunar surface sinks slightly as a result of faults.

The crater is named in honour of Marin Mersenne, a French philosopher and physicist (1588-1648).

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