What are the straight lines on the moon?

Look carefully at the full moon and you’ll see bright skinny streaks extending from large lunar craters. These are ejecta rays, spoke-like lines that seem to shoot from the circular impact site, a vivid testament to ancient explosions.

Why is there a line of craters on the moon?

A crater chain is a line of craters along the surface of an astronomical body. Crater chains seen on the Moon often radiate from larger craters, and in such cases are thought to be either caused by secondary impacts of the larger crater’s ejecta or by volcanic venting activity along a rift.

What are the craters on the Moon formed by?

These are impact craters, each of which was formed when an asteroid or comet collided with the Moon’s surface. The large number of craters in this region indicates that this part of the Moon is quite ancient. Geologic processes have not erased the craters with time.

What are the main features of the moon’s craters?

The following features can be identified on the Moon’s surface:

• MARE or “SEAS” – These are relatively smooth, dark, and large areas that are filled with lava.
• CRATERS – These roughly circular depression in the surface formed when meteoroids struck the Moon at high speeds.

What are the lines around craters?

Those circular shapes are craters and the lines are “ejecta rays” made from material blasted out of the crater.

Does the Moon have fault lines?

As the moon’s interior cools, it shrinks, which causes its hard surface to crack and form fault lines, according to research sponsored by NASA. The moon has gotten about 150 feet skinnier over the last few hundred million years. The space agency has also recorded evidence of fault lines in a series of images.

How are crater chains formed?

A crater chain is formed when an asteroid or comet with low tensile strength is pulled apart by tides during a close approach to a planet, separating into a train of fragments which hit a moon of the planet rather than escaping to interplanetary space.

What can lines around craters tell us?

Some Craters have Rays which extend out from the site of impact (best example: Tycho on the Moon), while others show splash-like features, like the Martian crater above. The difference in ejecta profiles can tell us about the makeup of the material on the planet’s surface.

When were Moon craters formed?

about 4.5 billion years ago
The detailed analysis of Moon rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts showed that volcanism and cratering have shaped the Moon’s surface since its formation, about 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after Earth was formed.

How was Craters of the Moon monument formed?

Craters of the Moon formed during eight major eruptive periods between 15,000 and 2000 years ago. Lava erupted from the Great Rift, a series of deep cracks that start near the visitor center and stretch 52 miles (84 km.) to the southeast.

How many craters are on the Moon?

Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth’s Moon. The Moon’s surface has many craters, all of which were formed by impacts. The International Astronomical Union currently recognizes 9,137 craters, of which 1,675 have been dated.

What is the Moon’s biggest crater?

The South Pole–Aitken basin
The South Pole–Aitken basin (SPA Basin, /ˈeɪtkɪn/) is an immense impact crater on the far side of the Moon. At roughly 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and between 6.2 and 8.2 km (3.9–5.1 mi) deep, it is one of the largest known impact craters in the Solar System.