Eckert is a tiny, isolated lunar impact crater in the northern part of the Mare Crisium (a circular region of relatively dark, flat material on the surface of the Moon). This crater forms a circular pit in the dark surface of the surrounding lunar mare. Just to the west is a wrinkle ridge in the mare surface, a feature that is prominent only under oblique lighting from the Sun. The nearest craters of note are Peirce to the west-northwest, and Picard to the southwest. Both of these craters lie in the Mare Crisium basin.
Coordinates | 17°18′N 58°18′E / 17.3°N 58.3°E |
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Diameter | 3 km |
Depth | Unknown |
Colongitude | 302° at sunrise |
Eponym | Wallace J. Eckert |
The crater is named for American astronomer Wallace John Eckert, and name was approved by the IAU in 1973.[1]