The week of September 7 – 13 takes us from Day 26 to Day 3. This week we will highlight the moon crater Zeeman, visible on Friday night close to the terminator.
Moon crater Zeeman is a huge, ancient crater on the far side of the Moon close to the south pole where it can’t be seen from Earth. It’s one of the deepest places in the Moon’s southern hemisphere, sitting more than 6,000 meters below the lunar surface.
Inside the crater:
- The walls are smoother, while the floor is rough and full of tiny craters.
- A small central peak rises from the middle containing minerals from the Moon’s original crust.
- The standout feature is Zeeman Mons, which is a towering mountain on the rim that rises over 7.5 km above the crater floor and is taller than many mountains on Earth.
Zeeman formed during the Nectarian period, one of the earliest eras in lunar history, making it a window into the Moon’s ancient past.
Because it lies within the South Pole–Aitken Basin, the largest and oldest impact basin on the Moon, Zeeman helps scientists study how the lunar crust formed and changed over billions of years.
OF ADDITIONAL INTEREST IN SPACE
On Tuesday, Jupiter is 1° south of the Moon.
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It is highly recommended that you get a copy of Sky and Telescope’s Field Map of the Moon, the very finest Moon map available for use at the telescope. It is available for $10.95 at www.skyandtelescope.com and on Amazon. All features mentioned in this blog will be keyed to the grid on the Field Map and will look like this: Plato: [NW/D9]
Credits:
Courtesy of Gray Photography of Corpus Christi, Texas
Lunar photos: NASA / USGS / BMDO / LROC / ASU / DLR / LOLA / Moon Globe. Used by permission
- Petavius: Floor-Fractured Crater on the Moon - October 12, 2026
- Rimae Sirsalis – One of the Longest Rilles on the Moon - October 5, 2026
- Moon Crater Aristoteles Adjoins the Moon Crater Mitchell to its Immediate East - September 28, 2026