Freundlich-Sharonov Basin

Freundlich-Sharonov Basin

Oblique Lunar Orbiter 2 image with the approximate extent of the basin highlighted in red
Coordinates 19°00′N 176°00′E / 19.0°N 176.0°E / 19.0; 176.0Coordinates: 19°00′N 176°00′E / 19.0°N 176.0°E / 19.0; 176.0
Diameter 600 km[1]
Eponym Freundlich and Sharonov craters

The Freundlich-Sharonov Basin is a Pre-Nectarian impact basin on the far side of the moon.[2] It is named after the younger craters Freundlich near the northwest margin and Sharonov near the southwest margin. It lies east of Mare Moscoviense basin and northwest of Korolev basin.

The basin is not obvious on lunar photographs, although it was discovered from analysis of Lunar Orbiter photographs. At the center is the small mare Lacus Luxuriae, just south of the oblique crater Buys-Ballot.

Also at the center is a mass concentration (mascon), or gravitational high. The mascon was first identified by Doppler tracking of the Lunar Prospector spacecraft.[3]

Other craters within the basin include Anderson, Virtanen, Zernike, Dante, and the smaller Šafařík. Morse and Spencer Jones are at the margins.

Views

References

  1. The geologic history of the Moon, 1987, Wilhelms, Don E.; with sections by McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. USGS Professional Paper: 1348. (online)
  2. Impact Basin Database
  3. A. S. Konopliv; A. B. Binder; L. L. Hood; A. B. Kucinskas; W. L. Sjogren; J. G. Williams (1998). "Improved Gravity Field of the Moon from Lunar Prospector". Science. 281 (5382): 1476–1480. PMID 9727968. doi:10.1126/science.281.5382.1476.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.