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Faraday (crater)

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Faraday
Image
Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates42°24′S 8°42′E / 42.4°S 8.7°E / -42.4; 8.7
Diameter69.03 km (42.89 mi)[1]
Depth4.1 km (2.5 mi)
Colongitude352° at sunrise
EponymMichael Faraday

Faraday is an irregular lunar impact crater in the southern highlands of the Moon.[2] It lies across the southeast rim of the larger crater Stöfler,[3] and the northwest rim of Faraday forms a wide rampart across the otherwise flat floor of Stöfler. To the east of Faraday is Maurolycus.[4]: 112 

The rim of Faraday has been significantly overlain by subsequent impacts, most notably by an overlapping pair across the southwest rim and a crater across the northwest rim.[3][5] There is a low central ridge running from the southwest to the northeast, nearly dividing the crater floor in half. The floor is nearly flat in the northwest half.[4]: 112 

This formation is named after British chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867).[1] His name was introduced with the lunar nomenclature of William R. Birt during the 19th century.[6] Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]

Satellite craters

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By convention, these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Faraday.[7]

Faraday[4]: 298  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 41.5° S 9.7° E 21 km
C 43.3° S 8.1° E 30 km
D 43.7° S 9.6° E 14 km
G 45.8° S 10.1° E 31 km
H 45.0° S 10.3° E 12 km

Due to its ray system, Faraday C is mapped as part of the Copernican System.[8]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Faraday". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  2. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  3. 1 2 Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
  4. 1 2 3 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  5. ↑ Grego, Peter (2005). The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers' Observing Guides Series. London: Springer-Verlag. p. 210. ISBN 1-85233-748-6.
  6. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 136, 221. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  7. ↑ Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.
  8. ↑ Wilhelms, Don E.; McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. (1987). The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. doi:10.3133/pp1348. Plate 11: Copernican System.

Sources

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