Lovell (crater)

Lovell (crater)

Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image
Coordinates 36°48′S 141°54′W / 36.8°S 141.9°WCoordinates: 36°48′S 141°54′W / 36.8°S 141.9°W
Diameter 34 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 143° at sunrise
Eponym Jim Lovell

Lovell is a small lunar crater that lies across the eastern edge of the walled plain Apollo, on the far side of the Moon. It has a somewhat irregular shape, with outward bulges to the north and west. The rim is sharp-edged, with some slight wear along the northwestern bend. The featureless inner walls slope directly down to the uneven interior floor.

Lovell crater is named after the American astronaut Jim Lovell, crew member of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, which was the first manned mission to the moon, and therefore Lovell was one of the three first humans to see this crater on the far side of the moon. Two nearby craters are named after the other two crew members, Frank Borman (Borman crater) and William Anders (Anders crater).

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Lovell.

Lovell Latitude Longitude Diameter
F 36.7° S 138.2° W 24 km
R 37.7° S 144.0° W 24 km

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 2007-08-05.
  • Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  • Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
  • McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 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 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763.
  • Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  • Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
  • Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
  • Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revision ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
  • Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.