Cooled, lava-like flows of impact melt that streamed
out of Little Lowell Crater. As a volunteer for the Lunar Melt Citizen Science
Project, you’ll help identify and measure rocks and craters in images like this
one.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
When asteroids hit the Moon, the impacts carve out craters and with enough energy and pressure, melt parts
of the rocky surface. Often, the white hot, gooey melt (it’s like lava, except
that it doesn’t erupt from underground) sloshes around the new crater and
surrounding regions. The molten rock cools and hardens into vast rock features
called impact melt flow deposits. These flow deposits are sculpture-like
abstract art with beautiful lines and textures.
Now, scientists at the Lunar Melt citizen science project are asking for your help mapping these flows.
You’ll be marking rocks, measuring the lengths of boulders, and outlining
craters and melt deposits in images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter spacecraft.
Your contributions will help reveal
how impact melt has changed the Moon’s surface, especially around Little Lowell
Crater and Tycho Crater, and help scientists use impact melt flows to learn
about the moon’s interior.
Help planetary scientists map the geology of lava-like flows on the Moon! Sign up at mappers.psi.edu, and tell your friends!
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