Exploration of the Moon Exploration of the Moon The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation from Earth. The invention of the optical telescope brought about the first leap in the quality of lunar observations. Galileo Galilei is generally credited as the first person to use a telescope for astronomical purposes; having made his own telescope in 1609, the mountains and craters on the lunar surface were among his
Lunar craters named lunar craters are "satellite craters": their names consist of the name of a nearby named crater and a capital letter (for example, , , and so on). Lunar crater chains are usually named after a nearby crater. Their Latin names contain the word "Catena" ("chain"). For example, "Catena Davy" is situated near the crater Davy. The red marker on these images illustrates the location of the named crater feature on the near side of the Moon. Lunar craters Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, almost all of which were formed by