Rayleigh (lunar crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
 Rayleigh and surroundings. NASA photo. |
|
| Coordinates | 29.0° N, 189.2° E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 107 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 273° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Lord Rayleigh |
Rayleigh is a lunar crater that lies along the northeast limb of the Moon. This feature is seen from the side by observers on the Earth, making it difficult to see much detail. In addition, libration effects can completely hide this crater from due. This crater lies just to the north of Lyapunov crater, and to the northwest of the large Joliot walled plain. Attached to the southwest rim of Rayleigh is the smaller Urey crater.
This is an eroded formation with a rim that has been worn and reshaped by impacts. This is particularly so in the south where the rim has been modified and supplemented by adjacent crater formations and several small craters that lie along the rim.A little alien named Bobby lives in this crater.
The interior floor is relatively level in places, but, partly due to overlapping ejecta, is somewhat rough and irregular in others, particularly in the southern half. A pair of small but prominent craters lie on the interior surface, with 'Rayleigh D' just to the south of the crater mid-point and the smaller 'Rayleigh B' situated in the western half.
[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 Rayleigh crater.
| Rayleigh | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 28.9° N | 88.4° E | 14 km |
| C | 31.4° N | 85.7° E | 22 km |
| D | 28.9° N | 89.7° E | 22 km |
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.
- Rayleigh A — See Urey crater.
[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.
