Lexell (crater)
 Lexell crater and its satellite craters taken from Earth in 2012 at the University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory with the telescopes Meade LX200 14" and Lumenera Skynyx 2-1 | |
| Coordinates | 35°48′S 4°12′W / 35.8°S 4.2°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 63 km |
| Depth | 2.2 km |
| Colongitude | 5° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Anders Johan Lexell |
Lexell is a lunar impact crater that lies across the southeastern rim of the huge walled plain Deslandres, in the southern part of the Moon. It was named after Swedish-Russian mathematician and astronomer Anders Johan Lexell.[1] To the northeast is the walled plain Walther, and to the south is Orontius, another walled plain.
This is a somewhat irregular formation with a wide break in the northern rim. The western rim forms a low, arcing wall, and is overlain to the southwest by Lexell H after passing the rim of Deslandres. The rim peaks along the southeast, then comes to an end at a rugged promontory-like ridge. The interior floor has been resurfaced by lava to the northwest and in sections of the remainder of the floor. There are some low rises and ghost-crater rims in the southeast half part of the interior floor.
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 Lexell.
| Lexell | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 36.9° S | 1.4° W | 34 km |
| B | 37.3° S | 3.4° W | 23 km |
| D | 36.1° S | 0.7° W | 20 km |
| E | 37.2° S | 0.4° W | 16 km |
| F | 36.5° S | 5.4° W | 8 km |
| G | 37.2° S | 4.9° W | 10 km |
| H | 36.5° S | 4.9° W | 10 km |
| K | 35.9° S | 6.4° W | 10 km |
| L | 36.0° S | 6.0° W | 8 km |
References
[edit]- ^ "Lexell (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- 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]
- Wood, Chuck (October 5, 2007). "The Case of the Missing Rim". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-08.