Clavius and Moretus in a Sharp Lunarscape Scene


| | | |

Like if we were making an orbital flight over the moon, the image captured on March 23, 2021 from Dark Sky® Alqueva Observatory, in Cumeada village, Portugal, on a very steady night, shows a high-resolution sharp view of Clavius along with Moretus craters framed in the same scene. Being Clavius one of the largest and older formations on the  lunar surface, features a diameter of 230.8Km and a Depth of 3.5 km, and it was formed during the Nectarian period. The convex plain floor was flooded with lava at about 4 billion years ago, it has a low outer wall comparing to its size, marked by some small and large crater impacts, like the detailed Rutherfurd visible in the upper part of the crater wall with a diameter of 47,4km and depth of 2,5km, as well as Porter – lower part of the crater wall near the lower egde of the image – with 51,3km in diameter. Last October 2020, NASA has announced and confirmed the existence of a molecular water near Clavius. But this lunarscape scene also shows another very interesting crater, Moretus – upper right corner – with a diameter of 114km. Due to the location near the lunar limb, the crater appears oblong because of foreshortening. The rim of the crater has a wide, terraced inner wall, and a complex outer rampart. The floor has been partly resurfaced and is relatively flat. In the middle is a central mountain formation that rises about 2.1 kilometers above the surrounding floor.

PT: Como se estivéssemos em pleno voo orbital sobre a lua, esta imagem captada a 23 de Março de 2021 a partir do Observatório da Cumeada, no Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal, numa noite com a atmosfera muito estável, mostra uma visão nítida em alta resolução da cratera Clavius ​​juntamente com a cratera Moretus enquadradas na mesma cena. Sendo Clavius ​​uma das maiores e mais antigas formações na superfície lunar, apresentando um diâmetro de 230,8 km e uma profundidade de 3,5 km, foi formada durante o período Nectárico, na escala do período geológico lunar. O chão plano e convexo foi inundado com lava há cerca de 4 mil milhões de anos atrás, revelando uma parede externa baixa comparada com o seu tamanho total, marcada por alguns impactos que formaram pequenas e grandes crateras, como a detalhada Rutherfurd visível na parte superior da parede da cratera com um diâmetro de 47,4km e uma profundidade de 2,5km, assim como a Porter – visível na parte inferior da parede da cratera, próxima à parte inferior da imagem – com 51,3km de diâmetro. Em outubro de 2020, a NASA anunciou e confirmou a existência de uma molécula de águra perto de Clavius. Mas esta paisagem lunar também mostra outra cratera muito interessante, Moretus, com um diâmetro de 114 km. Devido à localização próxima ao limbo lunar, a cratera parece oblonga devido à perspectiva. O extremo da cratera tem uma parede interna ampla e em terraço, assim como uma muralha externa complexa. O piso foi parcialmente recapeado e é relativamente plano. No meio está uma formação montanhosa central que se eleva a cerca de 2,1 quilémetros acima do solo circundante.


Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos

Camera ASI174MC | Meade UHTC LX200 12″ GPS|  Barlow 4x Televue Powermate | Sum of 200 frames for each panel. Processing on AutoStakkert 3, Registax 6 and Photoshop CC 2021. Cumeada Observatory from Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz.

 

BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO



Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image
– Make your order Now! 

You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional.  You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.

How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.


    Your Name | O seu Nome (*)

    Your Email | O seu E-mail (*)

    Select your country | Escolha o seu País

    Size and Type of Prints to Order with Price (*)

    Select Type of Paper - For Prints Only

    Intended to Pay with | Tenciona Pagar com (*)

    Shipping | Envio Internacional (*)

    Link of the picture you choose from the gallery

    Your WhatsApp Number | O seu Contacto WhatsApp

    Delivery Address | Additional Questions

    Copyright 2025 © All rights reserved to the author Miguel Claro | The website content is primarily in english, and partially in portuguese: en | pt