Messier (crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
 Messier (right) and 'Messier A' (left) from Apollo 11. NASA photo. |
|
| Coordinates | 1.9° S, 47.6° E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 9 × 11 km |
| Depth | 1.3 km |
| Colongitude | 313° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Charles Messier |
Messier is a relatively young lunar impact crater located on the Mare Fecunditatis. The crater has a discernible oblong shape that is not caused by foreshortening. The longer dimension is oriented in an east-west direction.
Just to the west lies 'Messier A', a similar-sized crater with an oblong, doublet form. The longer dimension of this crater is oriented north-south, at right angles to Messier crater. This crater also has a curved bulge extending to the west.
The interior of craters Messier and Messier A have a higher albedo than the surrounding maria. There is also a dark streak in the center of each crater. Two prominent, nearly linear rays extend westward from the rim of 'Messier A', continuing over 100 kilometers toward the east edge of Mare Fecunditatis. The maria about the craters is also lightly marked by rays from other craters.
It is theorized that Messier crater was formed by an impact at a very low angle, and that 'Messier A' could have formed following a rebound by the impacting body. The low angle of impact may also explain the asymmetrical ray system.
To the northwest of 'Messier A' is a long, narrow rille.
[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 Messier crater.
| Messier | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2.0° S | 47.0° E | 11 x 13 km |
| B | 0.9° S | 48.0° E | 6 km |
| D | 3.6° S | 46.3° E | 8 km |
| E | 3.3° S | 45.4° E | 5 km |
| J | 1.5° S | 52.1° E | 4 km |
| L | 1.2° S | 51.8° E | 6 km |
The following crater has been renamed by the IAU.
- Messier G - See Lindbergh crater.
In the past 'Messier A' has been called the W. H. Pickering crater, but this was never officially sanctioned by the IAU. A different crater has since been named for Pickering.
[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.
