Mason (crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
 Location of Mason crater |
|
| Coordinates | 42.6° N, 30.5° E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 33 × 43 km |
| Depth | 1.9 km |
| Colongitude | 330° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Charles Mason |
Mason is the remains of a lunar crater that lies in the northeastern part of the Moon. It is nearly attached to the eastern rim of the flooded Plana crater, and southeast of Bürg crater. Along the northern rim of Mason is the southern edge of the Lacus Mortis, a small lunar mare. To the south is the larger Lacus Somniorum.
This is a heavily eroded crater formation that is somewhat irregular in shape, being longed along the east-west direction. The rim is an uneven, disintegrated ring of ridges that have merged with the rough terrain to the south and east. There are clefts or valleys in the western rim that reach the eastern rim of Plana crater. The interior floor has been resurfaced by lava, and forms a nearly level basin within the rim. The small crater 'Mason A' lies in the northwest part of the floor.
[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 Mason crater.
| Mason | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 42.8° N | 30.1° E | 5 km |
| B | 41.8° N | 29.6° E | 10 km |
| C | 42.9° N | 33.8° E | 12 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.
