Lassell (lunar crater)

Coordinates: 15°30′S 7°54′W / 15.5°S 7.9°W / -15.5; -7.9
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Tom.Reding (talk | contribs) at 14:53, 4 January 2018 (→‎top: Followup: restore the word "impact", but preserve the useful Lunar craters WL (discussion); WP:GenFixes on, using AWB). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Lassell
Coordinates15°30′S 7°54′W / 15.5°S 7.9°W / -15.5; -7.9
Diameter23 km
Depth0.9 km
Colongitude8° at sunrise
EponymWilliam Lassell

Lassell is a small lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern part of the Mare Nubium and is named after William Lassell. It lies to the west of the crater Alpetragius, south of Davy and southwest of Alphonsus. South is the land cape of Promontorium Taenarium.

Oblique view of Lassell from Apollo 16, facing south
Oblique view of vicinity of Lassell from Apollo 12, with Davy in the foreground
Oblique view of Lassell C (center) and the Lassell Massif (left), from Apollo 16

Description

The interior of Lassell has been flooded and resurfaced by lava, leaving a nearly flat surface with a low remaining outer rim. The surface has a low albedo, giving the interior a dark appearance. The surviving outer wall is generally circular but with a somewhat polygonal shape.

To the east-northeast is a circular, bowl-shaped crater designated Lassell B. This formation has a higher albedo than its surroundings and so appears relatively bright, especially at high sun angles.

The tiny crater Lassell D is located to the west-northwest of Lassell, about halfway to the ruined crater Guericke. This craterlet is surrounded by a patch of high-albedo surface, and is an example of a prominent lunar bright patch. The light hue is thought to be an indication of recent formation, at least in lunar geological terms.

To the west of Lassell is a small highland area called the Lassell Massif, which has a reddish color relative to the surrounding mare.[1]

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Lassell.

Lassell Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 16.8° S 6.8° W 3 km
B 16.1° S 7.7° W 4 km
C 14.7° S 9.3° W 9 km
D 14.5° S 10.5° W 2 km
E 18.2° S 10.2° W 5 km
F 17.1° S 12.5° W 5 km
G 14.8° S 9.0° W 7 km
H 14.5° S 11.2° W 5 km
J 14.8° S 10.4° W 4 km
K 15.1° S 8.9° W 4 km
M 14.2° S 8.8° W 3 km
S 18.2° S 8.5° W 4 km
T 17.1° S 8.8° W 2 km

Notes

  1. ^ Color of the Lassell Massif, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter article by J. D. Stopar, September 12, 2016

References

  • Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2007-08-05. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • 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. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • 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. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

Related articles