Lavoisier A -- Crater on the Moon
A Square Crater that looks like a Flying Saucer
A small bright crater caught my eye near the terminator last night. At low power, it seemed to
be raised above the moon’s surface and had a shape reminiscent of a Flying Saucer. I first
photographed the area where the Flying Saucer was, so that I could later identify the structure.
Once finished with the photograph, I increased the power and made a rough drawing of what
now no longer appeared as a Flying Saucer, but as an odd-shaped crater caught at sunrise.
Later at home, the crater was identified as Lavoisier A. According to the literature, it is unique
in being a square-shaped crater. The angle of the crater as seen through a telescope from
Earth fails to show its true nature. Its square shape can only be realized by looking straight
down at it from an orbiting spacecraft. The unusual shape of the crater is hypothesized to be
due to pre-damaged rock at the site of the impact and that the shock waves resulting from the
impact were misdirected through the deformed rock resulting in the odd-shaped crater.
be raised above the moon’s surface and had a shape reminiscent of a Flying Saucer. I first
photographed the area where the Flying Saucer was, so that I could later identify the structure.
Once finished with the photograph, I increased the power and made a rough drawing of what
now no longer appeared as a Flying Saucer, but as an odd-shaped crater caught at sunrise.
Later at home, the crater was identified as Lavoisier A. According to the literature, it is unique
in being a square-shaped crater. The angle of the crater as seen through a telescope from
Earth fails to show its true nature. Its square shape can only be realized by looking straight
down at it from an orbiting spacecraft. The unusual shape of the crater is hypothesized to be
due to pre-damaged rock at the site of the impact and that the shock waves resulting from the
impact were misdirected through the deformed rock resulting in the odd-shaped crater.