Summary
J. Herschel is a large lunar impact crater of the variety termed a walled plain crater. The crater is named after British astronomer John Herschel.[1] It is located in the northern part of the Moon's surface, and so appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth. The southeastern rim of J. Herschel forms part of the edge of the Mare Frigoris lunar mare. To the northwest is the crater Anaximander. Bordering the northern rim is a large, unnamed lunar plain. Just to the south is the small crater Horrebow.
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 62°00′N 42°00′W / 62.0°N 42.0°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 154 km |
| Colongitude | 46° at sunrise |
| Eponym | John Herschel |
The rim of this crater has been heavily eroded, to the point where it is frequently described as "considerably disintegrated". The remaining rim survives as a ring of ridges that have been resculpted by subsequent impacts. The interior floor is relatively level, but irregular and marked by a multitude of tiny impacts. The most notable of these are the satellite craters C, D, K, and L, listed in the table below. Horrebow A is attached to the southern rim of the crater, and is overlapped along its southwest rim by Horrebow.
Satellite craters edit
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to J. Herschel.
| J. Herschel | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 59.9° N | 38.8° W | 7 km |
| C | 62.3° N | 39.9° W | 12 km |
| D | 60.4° N | 38.0° W | 10 km |
| F | 58.8° N | 35.4° W | 19 km |
| K | 62.9° N | 39.3° W | 8 km |
| L | 61.0° N | 40.0° W | 7 km |
| M | 57.3° N | 32.9° W | 9 km |
| N | 60.0° N | 32.8° W | 7 km |
| P | 63.5° N | 32.8° W | 6 km |
| R | 62.5° N | 30.6° W | 9 km |
References edit
- ^ "J. Herschel (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
Further reading edit
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 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 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
External links edit
- "A Violet Moon". Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). July 31, 1996. Retrieved August 22, 2017. - includes several craters such as J. Herschel
- Wood, Chuck (2006-06-18). "Oozing Ejecta". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on 2006-12-23. Retrieved 2006-07-12.