It’s estimated that there are millions of craters sprawled across the surface of the Moon. However, one stands out among all the lunar impact sites visible from our vantage point here on Earth. Named after the Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe, the Tycho crater has long intrigued astronomers. Its high walls, flat floor and central peak make it seem like a city on Earth’s natural satellite. Even the Victorian selenographer (someone who charts the Moon) Thomas Gwyn Elger called it “the Metropolitan crater of the Moon”.
The walls of the crater span 51 miles wide and plummet around 2.92 miles to its floor. Incredibly, this is small in comparison to the Moon’s biggest impact site, the South Pole-Aitken basin, which stretches 1,550 miles in diameter. At its centre is a rocky peak that reaches 1.24 miles into the absent air. The curious peak is characteristic of large craters, the result of rock that was compressed by the massive force of the impact, then immediately rebounded upwards.
Denne historien er fra Issue 178-utgaven av How It Works UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Issue 178-utgaven av How It Works UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
RESCUE IN SPACE
Fortunately, space emergencies are a rare occurrence, but astronauts and space agencies need to be prepared for any eventuality that might arise
NEANDERTHAL LIVING
Why our prehistoric cousins were pioneers, not clueless apes
BUILDING ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER
One World Trade Center rose from the ashes of the Twin Towers. Now, as the tallest building in New York City, it looks to the skies and the future. Here's how this sustainable and secure record-breaker was built
BECOME A SMARTPHONE SCIENTIST
Amazing tips and tricks to transform your smartphone into a bug-finding, star-spotting, data-gathering device
LIFTING THE LID ON ANTARCTICA
What was the coldest continent like without ice?
URBAN WILDLIFE
How wild animals have evolved to thrive alongside humans in towns and cities
WHAT IS SUNBURN?
How solar rays can leave us red, sore and irritated
ALL ABOUT FAT
Fat is a complex, active organ. Here's how genetics, evolution, lifestyle and diet dictate how much we have beneath our skin
The Space Force is launching lasers into orbit
The Space Force aims to better pinpoint the location of Earth's true centre using lasers on GPS satellites, slated to launch in 2025. A set of Laser Retroreflector Arrays, or LRAS, will be installed onto two GPS III satellites, SV9 and SV10, as part of NASA's Space Geodesy Program. The lasers are designed to make precise sub-centimetre measurements using a technique called Satellite Laser Ranging, which will allow researchers to more accurately determine Earth's centre.
Eating too much sugar may accelerate cellular ageing
A nutrient-rich diet with few added sugars may slow the rate of biological ageing in women. Scientists found that middle-aged women who ate more foods packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants had 'younger looking' cells than those who consumed less nutrient-rich diets.