Images from the NTU telescope

This image of the Moon was taken with the 14 inch telescope at the NTU observatory on 9 December 2009. The Moon at this time was seen at a very low Western point. The image is a mosaic consisting of at least 20 images.

It is possible to see many flattened areas, known as 'Mare' as well as an impressive crater close to the centre of the image. This crater is called 'Copernicus' and was formed by a meteor impact around 810 million years ago. The crater has a diameter of 75 km and is as wide as the distance between Nottingham and Sheffield. Depth wise, the crater is deeper than most of the peaks of the Alpes.

Giovanni Riccioli, a Italian Jesuit, named Copernicus after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus to show his opposition to the belief that the Sun was the centre of the Solar System. As the crater Copernicus is in the middle of the Mare, or the Ocean of Storms as it is known, Riccioli was actually implying he wanted to throw Copernicus into the middle of a stormy ocean.

Mare can be seen on this image of the Moon also.

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