Take a 3-D Ride Through Tycho Crater

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This is extremely very cool! Make sure you have your 3-D glasses on and take a 3-D ride in and around Tycho Crater on the Moon, courtesy of Japan’s Kaguya (Selene) mission. Tycho Crater is the big crater located on the Moon’s southern hemisphere, easily visible, especially when the Moon is full. The crater is notable for its emanating bright rays. The movie starts with an overview image of Tycho Crater, then approaches the central peak, flies along the steep slope of the inner wall, flies over the backside of the crater, and approaches the central peak again. Go get your 3-D glasses, and view the movie here. And hang on!

More about the movie and Tycho Crater:

The red dot on the "near side" image (left) indicates Tycho Crater's location.  Credit: JAXA
The creation of the two minute 3-D analglyph fly-through movie was made using data from Kaguya’s Stereo Terrain Camera. The crater is named after Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. The impact that created Tycho Crater ejected highland anorthositic crust all over the near side of the Moon. This impact by a small asteroidal body took place about 100 million years ago, when the dinosaurs inhabited the Earth. It was, however, still a relatively recent event in lunar history, and the effects of the impact event can clearly be seen in this movie. Enjoy!

Source: Kaguya website

14 Replies to “Take a 3-D Ride Through Tycho Crater”

  1. …and the wanted to land Apollo 20 in that !!!

    Stunning video – almost should be slotted into 2001: A Space Odyssey the zooming down onto the shuttle bus on the way to TMA-1.
    Also if the Americans are returning to the Moon, why isn’t that country producing videos like these to promote their lunar return program. Who knows, it might gain some much need support for NASA?
    Meanwhile Japan’s JAXA … Arararara. Doumo arigatou gozai-masu!

  2. Impressive !!!
    Where is this camera ? In a spaceship in orbit ? It is very close to the surface…

  3. “if the Americans are returning to the Moon, why isn’t that country producing videos like these to promote their lunar return program.”

    Because NASA sucks at the public relations game… simple as that.

    Consider for a moment that we were on the moon.
    Its something strait out of science fiction, but we were there doing science and waving the flag.

    You’d think NASA could continue to write its own checks after that adventure. Yet they’ve struggled to stay relevant the last few decades simply because they were never too good at selling space.
    Its probably something we should change.

  4. Thank you Lunamark
    I was really wondering, becouse at the beginning it sees the crater from above, then comes on the level of the surface, a spacecraft had to land to do this….
    And I’ d like to add that the flag has a very powerful emotional meaning. We all remember a flag, while we see many simulations.
    Recently for example, Chandra made an awesome one on Cassiopia A …

  5. Olaf I think my joke wasn’t funny enough.

    I find it hard to get so into 3D films because I see 3D all the time. 2D is fine, it offers its own benefits. I can use my imagination to imagine depth.

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