Swirling Feature on the Moon

[FLO]

This image was taken by ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, and shows a bright feature on the surface of the Moon called the Reiner Gamma Formation. This is a bright spot on the Moon which is totally flat, and surrounded by much darker "mare". Ground observations originally misidentified it as a crater, but when US and Russian spacecraft visited the Moon, they revealed this strange swirling morphology.

http://tinyurl.com/ruskj

[Naz]

Very Interesting, unusual feature, with no gas or liquid, how will they explain it. :?

naz

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Given the circumstances, i.e. no water and no atmosphere, I would have to assume a double impact. This would give a similar pattern to what you might expect from fluid flow by the nature of interference between the two shock waves from the impact. Looking at it some more, I would guess that there was more than two impacts which were almost simultaneous. Two impacts would give a more regular symettrical pattern so my guess would be that something got broken up by the lunar gravity some short time before impact.

Otherwise it's got to be fluid flow, which means either water or atmosphere.

Captain Chaos

[Jamie]

Looks to me as if it could be scorch marks.

Like something was bouncing along the surface scorching as it went.

Could be from an impact that took place farther away on the Moon and the fragment/s that caused this were super heated hence the scorch marks. (and no indentations)

This is just my theory of events derived from my perception of the image shown.

[Albireo380]

I wondered if it could be the tops of features submerged in lava as the Mare upwelled and covered older features. I amn't sure of the scale, but presumably pretty large - miles and tens of miles.

But, the markings don't look like the tops of partially submerged crater rims. The marks aren't circular, more like elipses. So my second gues is it is surface markings in the regolith, caused by a tumbling object.

Tom

[OXO]

Strange one this, Mmmmmmmm like the Messier Twins and a thought that they could of been produced by a Comet i reakon this feature is in the same rankings..

James

[FLO]

like the Messier Twins...

Messier Twins :scratch: :?:

[Naz]

Exhaust burns from a UFO

naz

[radioactive]

or another vandal with the spray can

[Naz]

Thats exactly it Radio, these LGM should have an ASBO served on them

naz

[radioactive]

Funny you should bring that up Naz at our regular Thursday night meet at the Batley&Spen AS Gordon informed us that the Leeds city Council have okayed the finances for all the streetlamps in this fair city and its suburbs to be swapped over from sodium (which we cope with using filters) to white full spectrum lights so that they can idendify people neredowells with asbos and the like as facial recogngtion is a problem with the current lighting system :nono:

So that will just about kill off our astro efforts now and for good what a great place we live in Authorities with no more idea than a fish .......... Sorry Fish sad times ahead :tearyeyed:

[Naz]

Radio telescopes aren't really an option either,with all the EM interference in cities, Just have to get a really long lens hood for your scope, about 30,000 ft should do it.

naz

[radioactive]

its all a ploy to get us to book our hols on the moon me thinks

Little do they know EH? :shock:

[FLO]

Exhaust burns from a UFO

Of course

[OXO]

Steve the Messier Twins are two features on the MOON matey

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Steve the Messier Twins are two features on the MOON matey

Unfortunately not like the cheeky girls in mud.

Captain Chaos