Why does the Moon have craters all over it?

Why does the Moon have craters all over it?

Craters are the most common surface features on many solid planets and moons—Mercury and our Moon are covered with craters. This portion of the Moon is covered by numerous circular holes. These are impact craters, each of which was formed when an asteroid or comet collided with the Moon’s surface.

Which is the only double crater on the moon?

Messier A
Messier A lies about 20km west of Messier, at a longitude of 47.6deg E, latitude 1.9d S. It is a double crater, measuring 11×13 km.

Why are there so many craters on the Moon compared to the Earth?

Asteroids strike the surface of the moon average speed of 12 miles per second. Earth´s surface also has craters but not nearly as many as the moon because the earth is surrounded by an atmosphere which causes asteroids to burn up before they can reach the surface. The moon does not have an atmosphere so small rocks can collide with its surface.

What do we know about the surface of the Moon?

What do we know about the Moon? Today, we know that the Moon is covered by craters as well as dust and debris from comets, asteroids and meteoroid impacts. We know that the Moon’s dark areas, called maria – which is Latin for seas – are not actually seas. Instead, they are craters that lava seeped into billions of years ago.

Why are there Mountains in the centre of the Moon?

For larger craters (typically a few tens of kilometers in diameter) the excavated crater becomes so great that it collapses on itself. Collapse of the material back into the crater pushes up the mound that forms the central peak. At the same time, the rock beneath the crater rebounds, or bounces back up to add to the peak.

How old are the craters on the Moon?

The detailed analysis of Moon rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts showed that volcanism and cratering have shaped the Moon’s surface since its formation, about 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after Earth was formed.