Janssen (lunar crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
| Coordinates | 44.9° S, 41.5° E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 190 km |
| Depth | 2.9 km |
| Colongitude | 320° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Pierre J. C. Janssen |
Janssen is an ancient impact crater located in the highland region near the southeastern lunar limb. The entire structure has been heavily worn and is marked by many lesser crater impacts. The outer wall is breached in multiple locations, but the outline of the crater rim can still be observed. The wall forms a distinctive hexagonal shape upon the rugged lunar surface, with a slight curvature at the vertices.
The prominent Fabricius crater lies entirely within the outer wall, in the northeast quadrant of the floor. A number of other lesser, but still notable craters mark the crater floor. Connected to the northeast rim is the Metius crater, and to the north is the heavily worn Brenner crater. Southeast of Janssen are the co-joined Steinheil and Watt craters. Astride the southwest wall is the smaller Lockyer crater. Further to the east, although appearing nearby due to elongation, is the huge Vallis Rheita.
In the south two-thirds of the Janssen crater can be discerned the remains of a large, concentric crater, the wall of which is overlaid by Fabricus. The floor of this inner depression contains a rille system named the Rimae Janssen. The rille curves from the rim of Fabricius crater to the southeast of the Janssen outer wall, extending for a distance of up to 140 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 Janssen crater.
| Janssen | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 43.2° S | 34.4° E | 22 km |
| C | 42.8° S | 34.9° E | 7 km |
| D | 48.5° S | 41.1° E | 29 km |
| E | 48.8° S | 39.9° E | 25 km |
| F | 49.7° S | 41.9° E | 36 km |
| H | 45.3° S | 41.7° E | 11 km |
| J | 43.4° S | 36.6° E | 30 km |
| K | 46.1° S | 42.3° E | 16 km |
| L | 45.9° S | 43.4° E | 12 km |
| M | 41.8° S | 35.4° E | 16 km |
| N | 41.4° S | 32.2° E | 5 km |
| P | 45.3° S | 39.7° E | 5 km |
| Q | 46.2° S | 39.4° E | 5 km |
| R | 48.1° S | 38.7° E | 17 km |
| S | 50.4° S | 41.9° E | 8 km |
| T | 48.8° S | 42.2° E | 31 km |
| X | 42.9° S | 33.3° E | 24 km |
[edit] References
- Wood, Chuck (October 1, 2007). Crateric Concatenation. Lunar Photo of the Day. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- 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.
