Richardson (lunar crater)

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Crater characteristics
Coordinates 31.1° N, 100.5° E
Diameter 141 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude   262° at sunrise
Eponym Owen W. Richardson

Richardson is a large lunar crater located on the Moon's far side, just behind the eastern limb. It lies to the south of the huge Harkhebi walled-plain, and to the east-southeast of Vestine crater. Just to the northeast is Szilard crater, and to the southeast is Artamonov crater.

A substantial portion of the crater is overlaid by the Maxwell crater, which lies across the rim to the southwest. The northeastern rim of Maxwell reaches the approximate mid-point of the Richardson crater, and together with the outer rampart covers nearly half the interior floor. The remainder of the rim of Richardson is worn and eroded, with 'Richardson W' intruding into the northwest rim and 'Richardson E' lying along the eastern side.

The surviving interior floor of Richardson is relatively level, but marked with a number of small craterlets. The rim and interior floor is covered by a number of wispy deposits from the Giordano Bruno crater, located just to the north-northeast.

[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 Richardson crater.

Richardson Latitude Longitude Diameter
E 31.9° N 103.6° E 22 km
W 33.5° N 98.3° E 23 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.