Kepler

Another of my early lunar targets is Kepler and its near neighbours Marius and Reiner. Kepler is an impact crater located just above the equator on the west-side of the Moon (west of Copernicus).

Kepler has a pronounced ray system similar to that seen around other prominent craters such as Copernicus and Tycho. Ray systems are formed by radial streaks of ejecta thrown up during the formation of an impact crater. Larger chunks of ejecta can also form smaller secondary craters around the main impact site. Ray systems usually have a higher albedo (reflectivity) than the surrounding material so appear brighter.

Here is a picture of Kepler created from a 4 minute webcam video:



Kepler is the crater with the ray system in the top-right, Marius (top) and Reiner (bottom) are towards the left. Marius is another crater that has been flooded by basaltic lava leaving the interior flat and smooth with no central rise.