Tycho and Maginus

The last post looked at Pitatus and Gauricus and this next picture is of the area a short distance to the south (Gauricus is visible in the top-left). I mention the crater Tycho in quite a few posts but it doesn't appear in many of the pictures. Although not the greatest viewing angle, here we can see Tycho as the deep, round crater near the centre-left. Maginus is the larger and shallower crater in the bottom-right. The picture has the same focussing issues as that in the previous post.


Tycho is named after the 16th century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, most famous for his detailed astronomical observations and his metal false nose. A relatively young crater at around 110 million years old, Tycho is very prominent and can easily be picked out with the naked eye by following the bright lines of ejecta thrown out during its creation. Similarly to other young craters, it is speculated that Tycho was created by an asteroid from the same family that caused the Chicxulub crater on Earth which led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. The crater is nearly 5km deep but the main central peak is clearly visible as a bright spot in the shadow.

Maginus is typical of many of the older craters featured in earlier posts - it has a heavily eroded rim with numerous smaller and more recent impacts, and is a shallower crater that has been partially flooded by lava.