Pettit (lunar crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
| Coordinates | 27.5° S, 86.6° W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 35 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 87° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Edison Pettit |
Pettit is a lunar impact crater that lies near the western limb of the Moon. In this location the crater is viewed nearly from the side by observers on Earth, and visibility can be significantly affected by libration effects.
The crater lies among the rugged features of the Montes Rook, the inner ring of mountains that surround the Mare Orientale impact basin. It is nearly a twin of Nicholson crater which lies less than a crater diameter to the northeast. Another similar formation is Wright crater almost due south.
The rim of this crater has something of the appearance of a rounded hexagon, with slightly flattened rims to the east and west. The rim is sharp-edged, and the inner wall material has slumped down to lie in a pile around the base. The interior floor is a rugged jumble, with a small central peak and hills to the north and west. Beyond the rim lies rugged terrain to the north and west, while the ground becomes less jumbled to the southeast beyond the edge of the mountain foothills.
This formation should not be mistaken for ths similarly-named Petit crater, a small feature on the eastern half of the Moon's near side.
[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 Pettit crater.
| Pettit | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 24.8° S | 88.9° W | 8 km |
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.
- Pettit T — See Shuleykin crater.
[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.
