                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2020 October 8

                                Mare Frigoris
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Matt Smith

   Explanation: Lighter than typically dark, smooth, mare the Mare
   Frigoris lies in the far lunar north. Also known as the Sea of Cold, it
   stretches across the familiar lunar nearside in this close up of the
   waxing gibbous Moon's north polar region. Dark-floored, 95 kilometer
   wide crater Plato is just left of the center. Sunlit peaks of the lunar
   Alps (Montes Alpes) are highlighted below and right of Plato, between
   the more southern Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) and Mare Frigoris. The
   prominent straight feature cutting through the mountains is the lunar
   Alpine Valley (Vallis Alpes). Joining the Mare Imbrium and Mare
   Frigoris, the lunar valley is about 160 kilometers long and up to 10
   kilometers wide.

                   Tomorrow's picture: a very large array
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