Sapkota (crater)
 MESSENGER image | |
| Planet | Mercury |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 86°05′N 132°47′W / 86.09°N 132.79°W |
| Quadrangle | Borealis |
| Diameter | 27.4 km |
| Eponym | Mahananda Sapkota |
Sapkota is a crater on Mercury, located near the north pole. It was named by the IAU in 2015, after Nepalese poet Mahananda Sapkota.[1]
S band radar data from the Arecibo Observatory collected between 1999 and 2005 indicates a lack of a radar-bright area within the interior of Sapkota, despite the fact that the floor of the crater is in permanent shadow.[2] Many nearby craters do have radar-bright areas which likely indicate water ice deposits.
References
- ^ Sapkota, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
- ^ Chabot, N. L., D. J. Lawrence, G. A. Neumann, W. C. Feldman, and D. A. Paige, 2018. Mercury's Polar Deposits. In Mercury: The View After MESSENGER edited by Sean C. Solomon, Larry R. Nittler, and Brian J. Anderson. Cambridge Planetary Science. Chapter 13, Figure 13.2.
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