Pallas (crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 5.5° S, 1.6° W |
| Diameter | 50 km |
| Depth | 1.3 km |
| Colongitude | 2° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Peter S. Pallas |
Pallas is a heavily-eroded lunar crater located to the north of the Sinus Medii. To the northwest is the smaller but less worn Bode crater. Pallas shares a low wall with the Murchison crater that is attached to the southeast, and there are a pair of gaps in the shared rim.
The outer wall of Pallas is worn, notched, and somewhat distorted in shape. The associated crater 'Pallas A' lies across the northwest rim. The inner floor of Pallas crater has been flooded by lava, leaving a relatively flat surface. The crater possesses a central peak complex.
Contents |
[edit] Lunar flare
On November 15, 1953, the physician and amateur astronomer Dr. Leon Stuart took a picture of the Moon that appeared to show a flare of light about 16 km southeast of Pallas crater. The flare was reported to last for about 8-10 seconds. The report was published in a 1956 issue of The Strolling Astronomer, a newsletter. However the idea was dismissed by professions of the period as more likely a meteoroid entering the Earth's atmosphere.
Many years later Dr. Bonnie Buratti of JPL saw the photograph and decided to investigate. Assisted by a graduate student, she identified a 1.5 km. diameter crater imaged by the Clementine spacecraft. The crater has the correct size, shape, and albedo to match the expected impact energy. Some astronomers now agree that Dr. Stuart may indeed have photographed the impact of an asteroid.[1]
[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 Pallas crater.
| Pallas | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 6.0° N | 2.3° W | 11 km |
| B | 4.2° N | 2.6° W | 4 km |
| C | 4.5° N | 1.1° W | 6 km |
| D | 2.4° N | 2.6° W | 4 km |
| E | 4.0° N | 1.4° W | 26 km |
| F | 3.4° N | 1.3° W | 18 km |
| H | 4.6° N | 1.5° W | 5 km |
| N | 7.0° N | 0.5° E | 6 km |
| V | 1.7° N | 1.5° W | 3 km |
| W | 3.6° N | 1.3° W | 3 km |
| X | 5.2° N | 3.2° W | 3 km |
[edit] References
- See the reference table for the general listing of literature and web sites that were used in the compilation of this page.
