Condorcet (crater)

Condorcet

Apollo 17 mapping camera image
Coordinates 12°06′N 69°36′E / 12.1°N 69.6°E / 12.1; 69.6Coordinates: 12°06′N 69°36′E / 12.1°N 69.6°E / 12.1; 69.6
Diameter 74 km
Depth 2.7 km
Colongitude 292° at sunrise
Eponym Marquis de Condorcet

Condorcet is a lunar crater that is located in the eastern part of the Moon's near side, to the southeast of the Mare Crisium. At this location, on Earth, the crater appears oval due to foreshortening, but the crater is actually nearly circular. To the northeast of Condorcet are the craters Hansen and Alhazen.

The outer rim of Condorcet is eroded, with a low saddle point along the northern wall and the satellite crater Condorcet Y lies across the northwestern rim. The interior floor has been resurfaced, leaving a level, nearly featureless surface that is marked only by a few tiny craterlets. The floor has a large dark patch in the western half, but the remainder is approximately the same albedo as the surrounding terrain.

From that location the Earth would appear in the lunar sky at over 20 degrees from the top towards the west and 12 degrees to the left.

Satellite craters

Condorcet crater and its satellite craters taken from Earth in 2012 at the University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory with the telescopes Meade LX200 14" and Lumenera Skynyx 2-1

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

Oblique view from Apollo 11 facing northwest from about 40 km altitude, with Promontorium Agarum at left and Mare Crisium in background
Apollo 11 view of five satellite craters of Condorcet. The large crater in the foreground is F, N is small and left of center, L is above center, Q is a large eroded crater in upper left, and R is a smaller crater above right of L.
Condorcet Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 11.5° N 67.3° E 14 km
D 9.8° N 68.5° E 22 km
E 11.3° N 68.1° E 6 km
F 8.2° N 73.1° E 37 km
G 10.7° N 68.0° E 7 km
H 12.4° N 65.0° E 23 km
J 13.1° N 65.0° E 16 km
L 10.1° N 73.7° E 12 km
M 9.0° N 73.1° E 9 km
N 9.0° N 72.9° E 4 km
P 8.7° N 70.4° E 46 km
Q 11.4° N 73.3° E 31 km
R 11.7° N 74.8° E 15 km
S 10.6° N 75.6° E 9 km
T 11.8° N 65.8° E 15 km
TA 12.2° N 65.7° E 14 km
U 10.0° N 75.4° E 9 km
W 13.9° N 66.9° E 33 km
X 10.1° N 69.9° E 8 km
Y 12.8° N 68.9° E 13 km

The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.

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 revised 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. 
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