Cosmo Copernicus and Eratosthenes Craters
The image shows, in detail, the impact craters Copernicus (93 km x 3.8 km) and Eratosthenes (59 km x 3.6 km) and their surrounding regions, one of the most beautiful lunar regions. The Copernicus crater stands out for its grandeur and beauty near the terminator, creating a three-dimensional effect. The Moon is Earth‘s only natural satellite. It orbits around Earth at an average distanceof 384,399 kilometres (238,854 mi), about 30 times Earth’s diameter, and completes an orbit (lunar month) every 29.5 days. This is the same length it takes the Moon to complete a rotation (lunar day). The rotation period is forced into synchronization with the orbital period by Earth’s gravity pulling the same side of the Moon to always face Earth, making it tidally locked. The tidal forces on Earth produced by the Moon’s gravitational pull are the main driver of Earth’s tides.
