Tycho and Copernicus: Lunar Ray Craters
			
		
		
			Credit & Copyright:  
Steve Mandel,
Hidden Valley Observatory
		
		
			Dazzling in
binoculars
or a small telescope, the 
Moon is
pocked with impact craters.
During partial
lunar
phases, the craters along the terminator
are cast in dramatic relief by strong shadows.
But when the 
Moon is full some 
craters seem to sprout systems
of bright radial lines or rays.
This detailed
close-up of the full Moon features two
prominent ray craters,
Copernicus (upper left) and Tycho (lower right), 
each with extensive ray systems of light colored debris blasted out
by the crater-forming impacts.
In general, ray craters are relatively young as their rays overlay
the lunar terrain.
In fact, at 85 kilometers wide, Tycho, with its far reaching rays,
is the youngest large crater on the nearside.
Crater Copernicus, 
surrounded by dark mare which contrast
nicely with its bright rays, is 93 kilometers in diameter.