False-colour map of the Moon showing surface soil compositions. In this image, red/pink areas are lunar highlands. Blue areas are titanium-rich basalt

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False-colour map of the Moon showing surface soil compositions. In this image, red/pink areas are lunar highlands. Blue areas are titanium-rich basalts, orange areas are titanium-poor basalts. The deep purple spots near centre are pyroclastic deposits formed by volcanic eruptions. The blue area at right is the Mare Tranquilitatis, the orange area above this is the Mare Serenitatis. Most of the left of the frame is the Oceanus Procellarum. At bottom centre is the bright crater Tycho. The data for this image were gathered by the Galileo spacecraft during its second Earth gravity-assist fly-by on 7 December 1992. Its final destination is the planet Jupiter.

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Size: 3898px × 4628px
Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: astronomy, composition, cosmology, false-coloured, galileo, geology, imagery, lunar, map, mineral, moon, planetary, rock, science, soil, surface, type, types