Picard (crater)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Crater characteristics | |
| Coordinates | 14.6° N, 54.7° E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 23 km |
| Depth | 2.4 km |
| Colongitude | 306° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Jean Picard |
Picard is a lunar impact crater that lies in the western part of the Mare Crisium. To the west is the almost completely flooded Yerkes crater. Due eastward of Picard is the tiny Curtis crater. It is the largest crater on the mare, being slightly larger than Peirce crater to the north-northwest. The crater is named for 17th century French astronomer and geodesist Jean Picard.[1]
Picard is a crater from the Eratosthenian period, which lasted from 3.2 to 1.1 billion years ago. Inside Picard is a series of terraces that seismologists have attributed to a collapse of the crater floor. The lowest point on the crater floor is approximately 2000 meters below its rim.[2] The crater rim of Picard is well-defined and shows little sign of wear, having a sharp-edged appearance. It has a small hill at the center.[3]
[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 Picard crater.[4]
| Picard | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| K | 9.7° N | 54.5° E | 8 km |
| L | 10.3° N | 54.3° E | 8 km |
| M | 10.3° N | 54.0° E | 9 km |
| N | 10.5° N | 53.6° E | 20 km |
| P | 8.9° N | 53.7° E | 7 km |
| Y | 13.2° N | 60.1° E | 6 km |
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.
- Picard G — See Tebbutt crater.
- Picard H — See Shapley crater.
- Picard X — See Fahrenheit crater.
- Picard Z — See Curtis crater.
[edit] References
- ^ Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.
- ^ Picard Crater. vgl.org. Retrieved on October 18, 2007.
- ^ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.
- ^ Bussey, B.; Spudis, P., (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.
