Odds & Ends

Thank you for that research, Rick!

It confirms what I've heard before: the Moon is pretty much devoid of quakes. So something caused this huge boulder to start rolling but what was it?

And when did it happen?

C

Good morning, everyone, and it is a beautiful sunny day today!

It kind of reminds me of summer time, when all of the insects are out there doing insect things. One of the things they do, if they’re a wasp, is build little cells to try and start a nest. Today’s post is somewhat similar to a mud wasp’s little nest.



The whitish things to the right and below center are what caught my interest in this image.

Zoomed in to 300%:



You can now see that these white cells appear to have openings in the ends, with the easternmost cell definitely appearing to have a hollow inside. There is a noticeable linear feature crossing the group of cells, as well.

What could these things be, I wonder?

C

Today is a day for romance around the world, and I have something special for everyone here tonight.

Since the Moon figures prominently in romantic situations, this Valentine’s Day I present not just one, but two hearts… in the same image!! And they are each a different type of feature, as well!

Here are our hearts at 25%:



It is a little hard to see at this reduced size, but the top heart is a hill or mound, while the bottom heart is a crater.

At 100%:



In my opinion, these 2 were made for each other!!

Our hearts are within the crater Aristarchus… and it shall be known forever more as the crater with 2 hearts!!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

C

Copernicus, what a stunning and beautiful way you have with words! Thank you for them, as well as the images that are both mysterious and wonderful. Aristarchus - The crater with two hearts...Happy Valentine's Day to you as well, my friend!

Good afternoon everyone. It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a proper oddity, and so today I have something a bit strange for you.

This is yet another anomaly from within the crater Copernicus, and I’m not exactly sure what to think of it…

First, here is the image that initially caught my eye…



…and at 300%...



To me, the shadow didn’t seem to quite match the rock, and the rock appeared to be hovering!

I decided to check another image, and came up with this at a bit lower res:



Note the shadows, especially the shadow of the rock…



So… the light angle seems about the same as in the first image, but the rock’s shadow looks totally different… and it looks ‘wrong’ to me.

Well, it turns out that there is one more high res image of this rock, so let’s have a look at it…



Huh??? Is this the same feature?

Yes, it is… but… where the rock appeared to be sticking straight out in the first image, it now appears to be drooping down!!

Very odd indeed!

C

PS: Thank you for the good wishes, Jackie!

As February winds down, and we prepare for the arrival of March, perhaps it will arrive like the roar of a bear?

Yes, I have a bear anomaly for you today… or at least one that looks like a bear’s head!



There are actually 5 high resolution images of this boulder, and this is the highest resolution one. The bear’s mouth is only visible in one other image due to the lighting.



Hmm… Is this a walk-in tunnel entrance?

C

Well, it’s been a nice sunny day, and it almost feels like spring, but…

Spring is 2 weeks away yet, but I have found a small boulder with a bit of ‘spring’ to its step! Yes, this boulder seems to have competed with a larger boulder and won!







As you can see, the smaller boulder (circled) appears to have rolled right over top of a boulder about twice its size! (arrowed)

It seems rather improbable that it could do that, but I can’t come up with an alternate explanation from this image.

Until next time!

C

It’s been several weeks now since I’ve done a post, and a lot of things have happened in that time… a new NAC upload and Spring Break are just a couple of those things. In order to make up for the skipped posts, I will post 2 anomalies today.

These 2 anomalies are from the same very high res image, and the first one looked almost like an abandoned large tire… a white one!





The second anomaly is a different sort of critter…





A prairie scene if there ever was one!

This image was in the last upload on March 16, by the way, otherwise I would’ve posted the gopher on Groundhog Day!

‘Til next time…

C

Ah, April has arrived, and not only are the flowers starting to bloom, so is humor! Yes, April is National Humor Month!

So, because of that, my next few posts will be in the spirit of the month. I will begin with a boulder that appears to be a well-known cartoon face. Some younger people may not remember this character, but I hope everyone enjoys my posts this month!!





'Til next time!

C

Thanks C!!!

Ahh… it is April… the month when things begin to come alive, and quicken, in their quest for the gentle light of the sun. April is also a magical time, when dreams can come true!!

This time of growth and renewal is not just limited to life on Earth, but also applies to life in other places, like the Moon. Boulders there also begin to feel it, and may move a bit faster than normal, and become hungry.

When that happens, they will extrude a feeding appendage, and graze on smaller rocks that are not aware. This does not happen very often, and is an extremely slow process, since boulders are such ‘slow-movers’!

And now, for the very first time, I’ve managed to find this captured in an image. It is an extremely rare event, so enjoy!!





As you can see, this boulder’s feeding appendage has only just begun to devour the smaller rock!

Until next week!

C

Hmmm, so much has been going on lately that I’ve fallen way behind in posting. We are well into spring now, and I hope you are enjoying the warmer weather. Sadly, the remaining posts for the National Humor month of April will be rescheduled for the next time around.

Instead, I will begin this month’s posts with an uncluttered view of a possible simple structure…



As you can see, this image shows some structuring in a relatively smooth area…



This may be a possible tunnel entrance, though it is hard to tell given the angle of the sunlight. Since this is the only LROC image of this area, we will have to wait for a new image with different lighting in a future upload… which is just over a month away, at this point.

Until next time!

C

Remarkable find! Thank You!!

Happy Spring!

The weather sure is nice right now, and makes me think of the summertime… sitting on the beach in the sun, sipping a nice cold drink…

A pleasure on Earth, definitely… and also on the Moon too!!

Here is a nice beach that I found there…



Ahh… the waves breaking on the beach…

C

Very interesting find! Cheers on the discovery!!

Any thoughts on what created this?

And where could I find it on a moon map?

Most curious what this would look like on the 1994 moon mapping mission.....

Back to work! No beach today!! Or in a long while!! :-)

Hi Rick!!!

The beach waves seem to be light-colored crater ejecta, but it does look very much like water. It is quite startling to run across something so terrestrial-looking on the Moon.

I will post the location for you in the Members Only area inside.

Hope you do get a chance for some beach relaxation in the future!

C

Hi C!!!

Yes, it is remarkable. That it evokes the feeling of something so familiar......remarkable!

And Happy Anniversary on your first year of forum membership!!

Probably more remarkable is that I'm just a few kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean, yet I never go, it seems. I do love the ocean....Just around here in South Florida, it doesn't have the same appeal as in other less populated areas.......

But I can always enjoy the "oceans" of the moon!!!!

Cheers, Rick :-)

Vacation is over, so we’ll leave the beach behind, and head into more familiar territory…

Today I have a bit of a subtle puzzle which is about what seems to be missing from the image.

The following image is very high res, and was taken on Aug15/11.



At first glance, nothing seems out of place, but notice the shadowed area on the east rim of this small crater… Compare the shadow there with the shadow of the small rock on the south edge of the crater. You’ll note that most of the rocks with only slightly less height have no shadows.



Given the angle of sunlight, and a comparison with other rocks in the first image, I’m wondering why there is such a large shadow behind this rock, since the shadow-casting rock face is not very high.

Is something missing here?

C

Not sure there is anything missing....except the "shadow"...I say that because on close-er inspection, it looks to be more like a dark object rather than a shadow. With texture.

Now mind you, I haven't gone and gotten the hi-res image directly. So I'm using what you have provided for eval.

Any thought's?

Cheers!

Hi Rick,

The rest of the boulder appears to be in the shadow, but though a bit odd-looking, it doesn't actually look strange. If there is something there, as you suggest, it might be something like dark glass...

A nice weekend coming up!!

C

…and we’re into June, a busy time of year for many, as people start gearing up for summer, and summer vacations! The longest day of the year is coming up for us Northern hemisphere folks, but prior to that, we also have another NAC upload scheduled in less than 2 weeks.

Today, I’ll present an object that reminds me of something you might find on the beach, though in much smaller scale. For some reason this particular rock reminded me of an oyster…



It has a rather interesting texture to it…



…and some interesting-looking hollows, as well. I’m not sure what to make of it, actually.

That’s it for now… until next time!

C

Although the weather is warming up, I have something to present which is more suited for the cold winter… a reminder, maybe, of why we so enjoy the summer.

This one is south of the central peaks of Copernicus crater, and reminds me of an igloo with a custom entrance



Our igloo appears partially buried on one side and has an apparent entrance that is triangular-shaped.



It is difficult to tell from this whether the entrance is actually hollow, but this is the only high res image of this object. It would certainly be beneficial to have another image with the sunlight at a different angle!



Until next time…

C

We all know how important light is, but though it might not seem like it, shadows are important too. Would you pay attention if you saw an object without a shadow? Well, how about a shadow without an object?

In today’s post, you will see something I will call the Invisible Tower. Difficult to see something invisible, but the Shadow knows

Here is the tower at 100%:



You’ll notice the crater has a shadow inside with a horizontal extension in the center, and no corresponding object to cast it.

Here it is at 300%:



There is a couple more hi res NACS of this crater, but neither of them shows an object capable of casting the shadow you see.

See you next time!

C

Ah, it’s officially summer… and time for something new!

Rather than post a large number of static images today, I have a video to present to you. Jackie graciously offered to collaborate with me on showing this anomaly, and I wish to thank her for the hard work she has put into making this!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bSAyxSyjTo

So what do you think? 3 boulders or 3 pieces?

C

Good morning everyone!

Summer is when most people have a rest and relaxation break, and that includes me. For those who can’t quite get away from it all, I have found another beach for you on the Moon. Though a bit difficult to get to, it is well-worth the trip!!



Enjoy the summer!!

C