Cratered Ceres

Using data from NASA’s Lunar reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists have discovered two geologically young craters — one 16 million, the other between 75 and 420 million years old — in the darkest regions of the Moon’s south pole. Such craters provide valuable information on the frequency of collisions in the solar system.

Having spent more than a month orbiting on the dark side of dwarf planet Ceres, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has returned the highest-resolution views to date of this intriguing world’s sunlit north pole.

First or last Quarter Moon is the best time to see some of the magnificent crater chains near the centre of the Earth-turned lunar hemisphere. Marnix Praet from Belgium provides this high-resolution view of the Hipparchus and Albategnius region.