By R. Lena, KC, Pau,
G. Mengoli, A. Bares, E. Crandall, G. Di Iorio, F. Acquarone, R. Viegas, B.
Shaw and M. Collins
During an our project we studied the Clavius
region . It was observed a structure positioned at 53. 066 ° South and
12.297° West.
Below the images:
Giorgio Mengoli ( during an observation made
on march, 23 2003 ) and Alessandro Bares (during an observation made on
october 30 2002 at 5:27 UT) detected Clavius and surroundings.
The images were very detailed.
It was found a circular structure marked with an arrow, apparently
as a dome.
Clavius and surroundings . Image by G. Mengoli
Clavius and surroundings . Image
by A. Bares
Another image was taken by E. Crandall on 13 March 2003 at 02:15 UT
with a 254 mm f/7 Newtonian and a 2x barlow coupled with a Starlight Xpress
HX 516 CCD camera.
E. Crandall on 13 March 2003 at
02:15 UT
Another image was supplied by KC PAU, on 12 march 2003 at 20:27 UT (below)
KC PAU, on 12 march 2003 at 20:27
UT
This image shows the presence of complex details on the feature surface.
F. Acquarone, Clavius surroundings
The CLA photos, submitted by Di Iorio, showed
that the feature has a big slope. It
looks like a hummocky terrain, possibly ejecta from Clavius.
The structure appears as hummocky terrain from ejecta. The feature under any earth-based imagery does have the appearance of a lunar dome. Under spacecraft imagery, this is more questionable. It is highly eroded from impacts, has creterlet from impact nature and a irregular shape.
The Lunar Orbiter imagery was also studied. At the links:
http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/research/lunar_orbiter/images/img/iv_131_h1.jpg
http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/research/lunar_orbiter/images/img/iv_118_h3.jpg
http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/research/lunar_orbiter/images/img/iv_124_h1.jpg
Coupled with the presence of many hummocky units
around this feature (in the LO imagery), this suggests that the feature is part
of a larger hummocky unit from ejecta .
As in many cases a earth-based imagery may look like a dome, but
that spacecraft imagery is necessary to confirm it.
So we feel it is not a dome.
A CLA image.