When did Galileo Galilei first observe lunar craters with a telescope?
Galileo Galilei pointed his first telescope toward the Moon on the 30th of November 1609. He observed mountains and cup-like depressions instead of a perfect sphere.
Questions about Lunar craters
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who named lunar features as craters and when was this term applied?
Johann Hieronymus Schröter applied the name crater to these features in 1791. The word derived from the Greek term for a wine vessel before he used it.
What evidence proved that meteoric impacts caused almost all lunar craters?
Evidence from Apollo missions eventually proved meteoric impact or asteroid strikes caused almost all lunar craters. Uncrewed spacecraft from the same period provided additional proof for impact origins.
How many craters exceed one kilometer in diameter on the lunar surface?
At least 1.3 million craters exceed one kilometer in diameter on the lunar surface. Eighty-three thousand of these measure greater than ten kilometers across.
Why do lunar craters survive for over two billion years without erosion?
The Moon lacks water, atmosphere, and tectonic plates to cause erosion. This absence allows craters to survive for over two billion years.