Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: Rima Hyginus is a spectacular fissure, some 220 kilometres long, found near the centre of the lunar near side. Easy to spot in telescopic views of the Moon, it stretches top left to bottom right across this lunar closeup. The image was made with exaggerated colours that reflect the mineral composition of the lunar soil. Hyginus crater lies near the centre of the narrow lunar surface groove. About 10 kilometres in diameter, the low-walled crater is a volcanic caldera, one of the larger non-impact craters on the lunar surface. Dotted with small pits formed by surface collapse, Hyginus rima itself was likely created by stresses due to internal magma upwelling and collapse along a long surface fault. The intriguing region was a candidate landing site for the canceled Apollo 19 mission.