June 10, 2009 7:01 AM PDT
The lunar orbiter Kaguya, launched by Japanese space agency JAXA in September 2007, will end its scientific observation mission with a calculated impact when it slams into the moon's southern hemisphere, near the Gill crater, at 6:30 p.m. (MT) on Wednesday.
This wide-angle view, taken by high-definition cameras on board the Kaguya, shows craters Birt and Birt A adjacent to the linear fault Rupes Recta (110 kilometers long, 2 to 3 kilometers wide, and 240 to 300 kilometers deep) on the southeastern part of Mare Nubium, known for the wide shadow it casts on day 8 of the moon's orbit.
Photo by JAXA/NHK
Caption by James Martin
