Aristarchus Region

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The Aristarchus Plateau has captivated astronomers since the dawn of space exploration. Its distinctive shape and striking contrast in reflectance immediately grabs your attention. Superimposed on the plateau is a breathtaking channel (or rille), and the remarkably young Aristarchus Crater (regional overview). Aristarchus Crater is the largest impact feature on the plateau, standing out as one of the highest reflectance (blindingly bright in a telescope) features on the moon. The plateau itself is surrounded by lava flows from Oceanus Procellarum, and this entire region boasts an exceptionally high concentration of sinuous rilles. The largest of these is Vallis Schroeteri, which is also the largest sinuous rille on the moon. Finally, the plateau is nearly completely covered by one of the largest lunar regional pyroclastic deposits. Consequently, due to its geological complexity and resource potential, the Aristarchus region naturally holds great interest for the Constellation Program and future lunar missions. This model features a 3x vertical exaggeration.