John Chumack _Observatories
USSR Lunik2, Crater Archimedes, Autolycus, Aristillus
Crater Archimedes, Autolycus, Aristillus.DMK 21af04 Firewire webcam 800 frames.& 10" SCT telescope
I captured this close-up of the Archimedes, Autolycus, and Aristillus Craters Region! The Red Dot Mark's the location of the USSR's Lunik 2 Spacecraft impact site!
Luna 2, or Lunik 2, was the first man-made object to land on the Moon. When we say "land on", we actually mean "crash into the Moon at a great speed."
Luna 2 was launched from the Bailkonur Cosmodrome's launch pad 1 (also known as Gagarin's Start) at 06:39:42 GMT on 12th September 1959. The Bailkonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan (although in land leased to Russia), is the world's oldest and largest spaceport.
Luna 2 was Russia's sixth attempt to land on the Moon. Its first three attempts all failed to take off. Its fourth attempt, Luna 1, launched in January 1959, actually went to the moon but missed it, flying past it instead. Luna 1 therefore became the first successful flyby mission of the Moon. Another failed launch took place in June 1959, before eventual success with Luna 2.
While it was making its journey, Luna 2 released sodium gas. This gas reacted with radiation from the Sun which made it glow. This made Luna 2 easier to spot and basically turned the spacecraft into a man-made comet.
The mass of Luna 2 was 390 kilograms. Its diameter was just under 1 metre (90 centimetres).
Luna 2 would have been traveling at a speed of 3.3 kilometres a second, or over 7200 miles an hour, when it hit the Moon.
Russia wanted the world to know that they had reached the Moon. They did this by providing the details of Luna 2's trip to Jodrell Bank in Cheshire,
England. At the time, Jodrell Bank was the world's largest radio telescope and just about the only one capable of tracking Luna 2 from Earth to the Moon.
Jodrell Bank began receiving signals from Luna 2 after take-off. When the signals stopped, this was confirmation that Luna 2 had reached the surface of the Moon as the impact would have destroyed the spacecraft. Impact happened at 21:02:24 GMT on 13th September 1959. Several astronomers confirm that at around
the same time, they spotted a flash of light on the Moon's surface.
Amongst Luna 2's scientific findings were that the Moon doesn't possess a magnetic field (or if it does, it is extremely weak) and that there is a flow of plasma coming from the Sun - it's what we now know as the solar wind.
The mass of Luna 2 was 390 kilograms. Its diameter was just under 1 metre (90 centimetres).
No, the spaceraft or the remnants would not be visible from Earth with any telescope on Earth.
Archimedes Crater (Bottom Left) 83km or 51.8 miles wide & 2.1km or 1.3 miles deep. The diameter of Archimedes is the largest of any crater on the Mare Imbrium. Named for Archimedes of Syracuse who was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer.
Autolycus Crater(bottom right) 39km or 24.4 miles wide & 3.4km or 2.1 miles deep. In Greek mythology, Autolycus was a son of the Olympian god Hermes.
Aristillus Crater(upper right) 55km or 34.4 miles wide & 3.6km or 2.3 miles deep. The crater impact created a ray system that extends outward from the rim for a distance of over 600 kilometers.
inside near center of this crater has a bunch of peaks that are about 1/2 mile high.....Looks like a racked set of Billiard balls, to some the center peaks appears as a heart shape.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
USSR Lunik2, Crater Archimedes, Autolycus, Aristillus
Crater Archimedes, Autolycus, Aristillus.DMK 21af04 Firewire webcam 800 frames.& 10" SCT telescope
I captured this close-up of the Archimedes, Autolycus, and Aristillus Craters Region! The Red Dot Mark's the location of the USSR's Lunik 2 Spacecraft impact site!
Luna 2, or Lunik 2, was the first man-made object to land on the Moon. When we say "land on", we actually mean "crash into the Moon at a great speed."
Luna 2 was launched from the Bailkonur Cosmodrome's launch pad 1 (also known as Gagarin's Start) at 06:39:42 GMT on 12th September 1959. The Bailkonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan (although in land leased to Russia), is the world's oldest and largest spaceport.
Luna 2 was Russia's sixth attempt to land on the Moon. Its first three attempts all failed to take off. Its fourth attempt, Luna 1, launched in January 1959, actually went to the moon but missed it, flying past it instead. Luna 1 therefore became the first successful flyby mission of the Moon. Another failed launch took place in June 1959, before eventual success with Luna 2.
While it was making its journey, Luna 2 released sodium gas. This gas reacted with radiation from the Sun which made it glow. This made Luna 2 easier to spot and basically turned the spacecraft into a man-made comet.
The mass of Luna 2 was 390 kilograms. Its diameter was just under 1 metre (90 centimetres).
Luna 2 would have been traveling at a speed of 3.3 kilometres a second, or over 7200 miles an hour, when it hit the Moon.
Russia wanted the world to know that they had reached the Moon. They did this by providing the details of Luna 2's trip to Jodrell Bank in Cheshire,
England. At the time, Jodrell Bank was the world's largest radio telescope and just about the only one capable of tracking Luna 2 from Earth to the Moon.
Jodrell Bank began receiving signals from Luna 2 after take-off. When the signals stopped, this was confirmation that Luna 2 had reached the surface of the Moon as the impact would have destroyed the spacecraft. Impact happened at 21:02:24 GMT on 13th September 1959. Several astronomers confirm that at around
the same time, they spotted a flash of light on the Moon's surface.
Amongst Luna 2's scientific findings were that the Moon doesn't possess a magnetic field (or if it does, it is extremely weak) and that there is a flow of plasma coming from the Sun - it's what we now know as the solar wind.
The mass of Luna 2 was 390 kilograms. Its diameter was just under 1 metre (90 centimetres).
No, the spaceraft or the remnants would not be visible from Earth with any telescope on Earth.
Archimedes Crater (Bottom Left) 83km or 51.8 miles wide & 2.1km or 1.3 miles deep. The diameter of Archimedes is the largest of any crater on the Mare Imbrium. Named for Archimedes of Syracuse who was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer.
Autolycus Crater(bottom right) 39km or 24.4 miles wide & 3.4km or 2.1 miles deep. In Greek mythology, Autolycus was a son of the Olympian god Hermes.
Aristillus Crater(upper right) 55km or 34.4 miles wide & 3.6km or 2.3 miles deep. The crater impact created a ray system that extends outward from the rim for a distance of over 600 kilometers.
inside near center of this crater has a bunch of peaks that are about 1/2 mile high.....Looks like a racked set of Billiard balls, to some the center peaks appears as a heart shape.
Best Regards,
John Chumack