Tsiolkovskiy (crater)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Crater characteristics | |
 Tsiolkovskiy crater from the Apollo 15 showing the central peak. NASA photo. |
|
| Coordinates | 20.4° S, 129.1° E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 180 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 235° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Konstantin Tsiolkovsky |
Tsiolkovskiy is a large lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies in the southern hemisphere, to the west of Gagarin crater, and northwest of the Milne crater. Just to the south is Waterman crater, and Neujmin crater lies to the south-southwest. This feature was first observed by photographs sent back by the Luna 3.
This is one of the most prominent features to be found on that hemisphere. It possesses high, terraced inner walls and a well-formed central peak. The floor is unusual for a crater on the far side, as it is covered by the dark-hued mare that is characteristic of the maria found on the near side. The distribution of the maria material is not symmetrical across the floor, but is instead more heavily concentrated to the east and south. There is also a protruding bay of darker material that reaches the wall to the west-northwest. The remainder of the floor has the same albedo as the terrain surrounding the crater.
The crater protrudes into the Fermi crater, a comparably-sized formation that does not have a lava-flooded floor.
Contents |
[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 Tsiolkovskiy crater.
| Tsiolkovskiy | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| W | 16.0° S | 126.9° E | 13 km |
| X | 14.7° S | 126.5° E | 12 km |
[edit] Trivia
- In the Fictional Mobile Suit Gundam series, Tsiolkovskiy is the site of Zeon Lunar Base Granada.
[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.
[edit] External links
The following L&PI topographic maps show portions of the Tsiolkovskiy crater:
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Northern half — LTO-101B2 Tsiolkovskij Borealis Southern half — LTO-101B3 Tsiolkovskij Australis Northeast — LTO-102A1 Patsaev Southeast — LTO-102A4 Fesnekov
