Alex McColgan

Imagine Everest suddenly being taken out by a meteor.

The shape of this crater was probably not only caused by the angle the impactor approached from, but also because it hit this steep slope.

It might not look that steep from the oblique angled shot, however over only about 20km, there's an 8km difference in elevation from the peak here to the bottom of this nearby crater.

In this next image, there's not too much to see.

The only thing visible in this wide expanse is this peak, basking in the light of the sun.

Why is this significant?

Well, this peak is on the rim of Apinus Crater, a crater found near the north pole of the moon.

Future colonies on the moon will be located somewhat near the north and south poles, because tucked away at the bottom of the craters here, where the sun never shines, are large pockets of water ice, essential for any colony to subsist off of.

Water can be used for drinking, washing, cooking and farming, plus breaking down the H2O into oxygen and hydrogen provides breathable air and rocket fuel.

These poles also have the added benefit that there are peaks here that are almost always in the Sun, unlike other parts of the Moon where the day and night cycle is 28 days long.

14 Earth days in constant darkness is not good for a solar-powered power system.

A peak like this one however, poking out in the sun while the surrounding area experiences night time, would be an ideal location for solar panels and powering a colony there.

It's not a perfect solution, as peaks like this one will eventually also become covered in darkness depending on the time of year, but 89% of the time is definitely better than other regions on the moon where you'd get sunlight for roughly 50% of the time.

I'll just leave you with a couple more islands in the darkness, this time from the far side of the moon, found in Ba Ba crater.

These are the central peaks found in the middle of this 80km wide complex crater.

Do you believe the moon to be barren, grey and uninteresting?

Well to me, that couldn't be any further from the truth.

The moon is packed full of secrets about its past, and has clues dotted all over its surface which gives us information about how it formed and evolved over time.

From global events that created some of the largest craters in the solar system, to tiny hills exposing layering in the moon's crust.

each helps us get a better picture of our closest celestial neighbour, and as a result, expands our understanding about the formation of the solar system as a whole.