Kuiper (lunar crater)

Kuiper (lunar crater)

Coordinates	9.8°S 22.7°W / -9.8; -22.7
Diameter	7 km
Depth	1.3 km
Colongitude	23° at sunrise
Eponym	Gerard P. Kuiper

Kuiper ( /ˈkaɪpər/) is a small lunar impact crater in a relatively featureless part of the Mare Cognitum. It is a circular, cup-shaped feature with only some minor wear. This crater was previously identified as Bonpland E before being renamed by the IAU. The lava-flooded crater Bonpland lies to the east at the edge of the Mare Cognitum.

To the east-southeast of Kuiper crater is the crash landing site of the Ranger 7 probe, the first American spacecraft to photograph the Moon. Gerard Kuiper was the Project Scientist for the Ranger program, and this feature was named for him after he died in 1973.

References

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