Lalande (crater)
| Coordinates | 4°24′S 8°36′W / 4.4°S 8.6°WCoordinates: 4°24′S 8°36′W / 4.4°S 8.6°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 24 km |
| Depth | 2.6 km |
| Colongitude | 9° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Joseph J. L. de Lalande |
Lalande is a small lunar impact crater that lies in the central part of the visible Moon, on the eastern edge of Mare Insularum. The crater is surrounded by a high-albedo area of ejecta that extends into a ray system with a maximum radius of over 300 kilometers. The interior wall has a terrace system, and there is a small central rise at the mid-point of the floor. This crater is believed to have formed about 2.8 billion years ago.
In 2002, a meteorite was discovered in the Oman desert by Edwin Gnos of the University of Berne. This rock, identified as Sayh al Uhaymir 169, is believed to have originated from the Moon. It was ejected from the surface during an impact that occurred less than 340,000 years in the past. Scientists now think that the rock originated from the crater ejecta blanket surrounding Lalande.
[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 Lalande.
| Lalande | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 6.6° S | 9.8° W | 13 km |
| B | 3.1° S | 9.0° W | 8 km |
| C | 5.6° S | 6.9° W | 11 km |
| D | 6.1° S | 7.5° W | 8 km |
| E | 3.4° S | 10.7° W | 4 km |
| F | 2.6° S | 10.0° W | 3 km |
| G | 6.2° S | 7.9° W | 5 km |
| N | 5.6° S | 5.7° W | 6 km |
| R | 4.7° S | 7.0° W | 24 km |
| T | 5.2° S | 7.5° W | 4 km |
| U | 3.2° S | 8.1° W | 4 km |
| W | 6.5° S | 5.6° W | 11 km |
[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. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/. Retrieved 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. http://host.planet4589.org/astro/lunar/. 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.
- 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 0-521-33500-0.
- 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 ed.). 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 1-85233-193-3.
[edit] External links
- Rock traced from moon crater to Earth — CNN article from July 30, 2004 (accessed 10/06/05.)
- Images of Lalande crater at LPI moon atlas
