Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 July 10
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                          Western Moon, Eastern Sea
                   Image Credit & [3]Copyright: Guy Bardon

   Explanation: [4]The Mare Orientale, Latin for Eastern Sea, is one of
   the most striking large scale lunar features. The youngest of the large
   lunar impact basins it's very difficult to see from an [5]earthbound
   perspective. Still, captured on July 7 during a period of favorable
   tilt, or [6]libration of the lunar nearside, the Eastern Sea can be
   found at the upper right in this sharp telescopic view. In the image,
   the large lunar mare is extremely foreshortened and stretches along the
   Moon's western edge. Formed by the impact of an asteroid over 3 billion
   years ago and nearly 1000 kilometers across, the [7]impact basin's
   concentric circular features are ripples in the lunar crust. But they
   are a little easier to spot in more direct images of the region taken
   from [8]lunar orbit. So why is the Eastern Sea at the Moon's western
   edge? The [9]Mare Orientale lunar feature was named before 1961. That's
   when the convention labeling [10]east and west on lunar maps was
   reversed.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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      Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([24]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [25]Specific rights apply.
            [26]NASA Web Privacy, [27]Accessibility, [28]Notices;
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC,
                         [32]NASA Science Activation
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2607/C14MareOrientaleGuyBardon.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/189
   5. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/set-your-sights-on-this-lunar-bulls-eye/
   6. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5195
   7. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/orbiter/lunar_orbiter/impact_basin/
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960112.html
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mare_Orientale
  10. https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2007JBAA..117..129B
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260709.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260710
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260711.html
  22. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/
  23. https://www.mtu.edu/physics
  24. https://www.astro.umd.edu/
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  26. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/