Gerard (crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
| Coordinates | 44.5° N, 80.0° W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 90 km |
| Depth | 2.2 km |
| Colongitude | 82° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Alexander Gerard |
Gerard is a lunar crater that lies along the western edge of the Oceanus Procellarum near the northwest limb of the Moon's near side. It is located to the north-northwest of the von Braun crater, and northeast of Bunsen crater. Because of its location, Gerard appears strongly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, hindering observation.
This is a worn and eroded formation with a rim that has been nearly obliterated in some locations and distorted in others. The northern half of the rim has outward bulges to the northeast, north, and northwest. The interior floor is rough in places, with several small and tiny craters along the floor and the eastern rim. Attached to the northwest rim is the satellite crater 'Gerard Q', a formation that has its eastern floor covered in dark-hued basaltic-lava.
To the northwest of this formation and 'Gerard Q' is a system of rilles named the Rimae Gerard. These extend for a distance of about 100 kilometers.
[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 Gerard crater.
| Gerard | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 45.1° N | 82.3° W | 17 km |
| B | 46.4° N | 88.3° W | 14 km |
| C | 45.9° N | 79.2° W | 27 km |
| D | 46.2° N | 79.9° W | 5 km |
| E | 44.5° N | 81.0° W | 5 km |
| F | 43.8° N | 82.3° W | 5 km |
| G | 45.7° N | 88.3° W | 22 km |
| H | 44.5° N | 87.0° W | 13 km |
| J | 46.9° N | 88.7° W | 10 km |
| K | 44.0° N | 77.2° W | 7 km |
| L | 43.2° N | 76.4° W | 4 km |
| Q | 46.6° N | 83.1° W | 7 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. Retrieved on 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. Retrieved on 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: 136.
- 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 0521335000.
- 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, 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 1852331933.
