Tsiolkovskiy (crater)

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Tsiolkovskiy is a large crater on the far side of the moon.

A striking contrast to Tsiolkovskiys dark crater floor form the very bright central peak and crater rim. The rim is slightly angular shaped by slope slides. The inner slope of the rampart is terraced. The crater floor is filled with basaltic lava, probably in the course of several 100 million years ago exited the lunar interior. Since up to now no soil samples could be examined from the back of the moon, an accurate age estimate is difficult. However, it is suspected due to the conspicuous dark soil staining and low crater density that the Tsiolkovskiy younger crater is just like the Mare Moscoviense than the large Mare on the near side. The central massif rises above the level to several thousand meters.

Tsiolkovskiy was discovered on images of Soviet lunar probe Lunik 3, the first pictures sent in 1959 by the side of the moon to the earth. It was named after the Russian rocket pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Today's notation Ts instead of Z is, as with all structures on the Earth's moon usual, modeled on the Latin.