Selenographic Surface Atlas
Interactive multispectral selenography combining USGS/IAU nomenclature, NASA LRO LOLA laser altimetry, LRO Diviner surface radiometry, and GRAIL Bouguer gravity mascons.
TERMINATOR · GUIDED FIELD NOTE
The best lunar view is a moving edge.
Follow the boundary between lunar day and night as it turns topography into readable shadow.
01 · PHASE AS LIGHT
The Moon is a changing light field.
Phase is not only a shape in the sky. It is the moving boundary between lunar day and lunar night, redrawing every shadow on the surface.
Prime target
Marie Curie
Sun skimming highest rim crests; floor in deep pitch shadow.
The selected date is the source of truth for phase, altitude, and contrast.
Explore the surface
NASA surface imagery and selected lunar features. Other layers are conceptual illustrations.
North-up sphere · fixed study lighting, not today’s lunar phase. Marker sizes are symbolic; no terrain relief.
NASA / LROC · Image source
Ernie Wright / NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio · 2025 · Public Domain
NASA LROC color mosaic adapted for visualization on a spherical surface. Manual inspection view, not computed libration or a view from a terrestrial location. Feature coordinates come from the site’s selected nomenclature catalogue. Markers are symbolic, not feature outlines. No elevation, temperature, or gravity raster is displayed in this optical view.
GRAIL Bouguer Gravity Mascons
OBSERVEDThe most prominent mass concentration on the near side. Dense mantle plug uplifted following giant impact, subsequently superloaded with 3–5 km of dense iron-rich flood basalt.
Strong positive gravitational anomaly causing significant orbital perturbations for low-altitude spacecraft (discovered during Apollo 8 navigation).
Isolated circular multi-ring basin surrounded by an intense negative gravity annular moat, indicative of unrelaxed flexural crustal stress.
LRO Diviner Surface Radiometry
OBSERVEDDirect solar irradiance (~1361 W/m²) absorbed by low-albedo regolith; lack of atmosphere prevents convective cooling.
Rapid radiative equilibrium drop as solar incident flux vector approaches tangent to surface.
Unimpeded blackbody radiation to deep space (3K background); upper centimeters of porous dust insulate heat from depth.