Those Wacky Words and What they Mean. Another Beginner to Beginner Pictorial. (Words and images by user placidstorm)Ever wonder what all that gibberish means ? Words like "Regolith", "Maria" (not marinara although the moon is pizza-like) "Ejecta" and such? So did I. Here is a wholly unofficial collection of common words and phrases you'll see on the Moon Zoo forum with pictures when possible. Anytime you would like to see "Scientific Definitions" simply click the
( I want to know more) link.
Don't Be Afraid it's only going to hurt a little bit. If it doesn't hurt at all you can get full definitions here
Moon Zoo Glossary
Albedo - A gauge of how shiny or reflective a surface may be. Imagine a road sign on a dark night. It sticks out like a sore thumb because it has High Albedo. Imagine a tree just pass the sign. You might crash into it because of it's Low Albedo. More accurately: "The ratio of the brightness of a reflecting object to that of a perfectly diffusing flat surface."
Albedo - In Depth
Crater - Most of the craters on the Moon were formed by the impact of a meteorite, asteroid or comet. There may be some craters formed by volcanic activity but these are quite rare.
Crater - In Depth
Ejecta - The stuff thrown out when a crater is formed.
Ejecta - In Depth
Mare / Maria - Big flat spots that look dark. The " Old Timers " in the old timer language ( latin ) Thunk them to be Seas or Maria. More accurately Plains of basalt thought to be formed from volcanic activity because we brought back rocks and smart guys say so.
Mare/Maria - In Depth
Rille - A rille is a long, narrow " ditch like " valley on the lunar surface.
Rille - In Depth
