Each month offers another full moon and a well-lit glimpse of the lunar surface. Patterns of light and dark reveal a rugged, cratered topography unlike anything here on Earth. The Moon has influenced art and written works for millennia. Detailed attempts to map the Moon go back to at least the early 17th century. It is likely that our only natural satellite has captured our attention and wonder since the dawn of humanity.
Times and technology have changed, but our species maintains a skyward gaze. Our curiosity has been both satisfied and amplified, and a once upward view is now augmented with a downward one. Today, satellites orbit above the Moon, collecting data and imagery of the craggy surface below.
The craters on the Moon are more than distinctive features: Craters are an important area of scientific study. Information about craters can help us identify landing sites, understand impact physics, and determine historical timelines. Satellite imagery is necessary for this kind of research. But imagery alone is not sufficient. Numbering above the millions, each crater bears the signature of a powerful impact or volcanic event. Collectively, they tell a story of the Moon’s history—and our own.
To build these histories, scientists need to know the characteristics of individual craters. In other words, we get a better understanding of the whole by looking at the parts. In this case, one crater at a time.
Stuart J. Robbins compiled an inventory of 1.3 million lunar craters. It includes the location, size, eccentricity (or circularness), and other parameters of each crater in the database. Data like this enables statistical analyses and pattern identification not possible with imagery alone.
The map at the top of the page is a combination of lunar imagery and topographic relief shading. It uses artificial lighting to cast shadows and emphasize the jagged terrain. It is also lit to illuminate the near side of the Moon, which always faces Earth due to its tidally locked orbit.
The second map features an analysis of Robbins’s data. It includes 1.3 million craters larger than 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) in diameter. A hexagonal tessellation aggregates the data to show where on the Moon craters are both largest and most numerous.
A private company made a historic landing on the Moon in February of 2024. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) also plans to return to the lunar surface with the Artemis missions. As we await new data and imagery from these launches, these new maps can help satisfy our curiosity and wonder here on terra firma.
Need More Detail?
We’ve made these maps available as high resolution posters.
Editor’s note (Sept. 9, 2024): We are honored to share that these maps have been selected for preservation by the Library of Congress.
