Herschel (lunar crater)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other craters in the solar system named 'Herschel', see Herschel (crater)
| Crater characteristics | |
 Herschel crater is in the centre of this image, with Ptolemaeus to its right. NASA photo. |
|
| Coordinates | 5.7° S, 2.1° W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 41 km |
| Depth | 3.8 km |
| Colongitude | 3° at sunrise |
| Eponym | William Herschel |
Herschel is a lunar impact crater located just to the north of Ptolemaeus crater. Just to the north is the flooded Spörer crater, and due east lies the disintegrated Gyldén crater. About a crater diameter to the northwest is the Flammarion walled plain, along the southern edge of the Sinus Medii.
The rim of this crater is generally circular, although the western side is straight. It has a well-defined edge that is not significantly worn, and the inner walls are terraced. On the rough inner floor is a notable central rise. This peak is offset slightly to the west of the crater mid-point. The small crater 'Herschel G' is attached to the south-southwest rim, and a tiny craterlet lies across the southern rim.
[edit] Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Herschel crater.
| Herschel | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 5.0° S | 3.2° W | 10 km |
| D | 5.3° S | 4.0° W | 20 km |
| F | 5.8° S | 4.4° W | 7 km |
| G | 6.5° S | 2.4° W | 14 km |
| H | 6.3° S | 3.4° W | 5 km |
| J | 6.4° S | 4.3° W | 5 km |
| N | 5.2° S | 1.1° W | 15 km |
| X | 5.3° S | 2.7° W | 3 km |
[edit] References
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A., (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 0-936389-27-3.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). Lunar Nomenclature. Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved on 2007-10-24.
- Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by The Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews 12: 136.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521335000.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, 6th revision, Dover. ISBN 0-486-20917-2.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62248-4.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 1852331933.
