Lassell (lunar crater)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Crater characteristics | |
| Coordinates | 15.5° S, 7.9° W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 23 km |
| Depth | 0.9 km |
| Colongitude | 8° at sunrise |
| Eponym | William Lassell |
Lassell is a small lunar crater that is located in the eastern part of the Mare Nubium. It lies to the west of the Alpetragius crater, and southwest of the Alphonsus walled-basin.
The interior of Lassell crater has been flooded and resurfaced by lava, leaving a nearly flat surface with a low remaining outer rim. The surface has a low albedo, giving the interior a dark appearance. The surviving outer wall is generally circular but with a somewhat polygonal shape.
To the east-northeast is a circular, bowl-shaped crater designated 'Lassell B'. This formation has a higher albedo than its surroundings and so appears relatively bright, especially at high sun angles.
The tiny crater 'Lassell D' is located to the west-northwest of Lassell, about half way toward the ruined Guericke crater. This craterlet is surrounded by a patch of high albedo surface, and is an example of a prominent lunar bright patch. The light hue is thought to be an indication of recent formation, at least in lunar geologic terms.
[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 Lassell crater.
| Lassell | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 16.8° S | 6.8° W | 3 km |
| B | 16.1° S | 7.7° W | 4 km |
| C | 14.7° S | 9.3° W | 9 km |
| D | 14.5° S | 10.5° W | 2 km |
| E | 18.2° S | 10.2° W | 5 km |
| F | 17.1° S | 12.5° W | 5 km |
| G | 14.8° S | 9.0° W | 7 km |
| H | 14.5° S | 11.2° W | 5 km |
| J | 14.8° S | 10.4° W | 4 km |
| K | 15.1° S | 8.9° W | 4 km |
| M | 14.2° S | 8.8° W | 3 km |
| S | 18.2° S | 8.5° W | 4 km |
| T | 17.1° S | 8.8° W | 2 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.
