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Slipher (lunar crater)

Slipher
Image
LRO image. Arrow indicates the location of the scarp pictured below.
Coordinates49°17′N 160°16′E / 49.28°N 160.27°E / 49.28; 160.27
Diameter74.65 km (46.39 mi)
DepthUnknown
Colongitude200° at sunrise
EponymEarl Slipher
Vesto Slipher
Image
Lobate scarp near the south wall of Slipher.

Slipher is a lunar impact crater, that is located in the northern latitudes on the far side of the Moon.[1] The crater overlies the southwestern outer rim of the much larger walled plain D'Alembert, and it occupies a portion of the interior floor of D'Alembert. To the south-southeast is the crater Langevin.

This formation dates to the Late Imbrian epoch of the lunar geologic timescale.[2] Because it overlies D'Alembert, Slipher is a younger formation and it has undergone much less erosion. The rim is circular but has a somewhat irregular edge. The rim is jumbled and irregular where it intersects D'Alembert. Overlapping the western rim and inner walls of Slipher is the smaller Slipher S, a fresh feature with a sharp-edged outer rim. The infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified on the east wall.[3] The interior floor of Slipher is somewhat uneven except in the northeast, and there is a cluster of low central ridges near the midpoint.

A distinct lobate scarp, located near the south wall of the crater, was imaged by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The scarp is a result of the cooling of the moon and resulting compression of the surface.[4]

The crater was formally named by the IAU in 1970 after American astronomers Earl Slipher and Vesto Slipher.[5]

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 Slipher.

Slipher Latitude Longitude Diameter
S 49.2° N 158.7° E 26 km

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. CRC Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-4200-3344-1.
  2. ↑ Tompkins, Stefanie; Pieters, Carle M. (January 1999). "Mineralogy of the lunar crust: Results from Clementine". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 34 (1): 25–41. Bibcode:1999M&PS...34...25T. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.1999.tb01729.x.
  3. ↑ Donaldson Hanna, K. L.; et al. (July 2014). "Global assessment of pure crystalline plagioclase across the Moon and implications for the evolution of the primary crust". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 119 (7): 1516–1545. Bibcode:2014JGRE..119.1516D. doi:10.1002/2013JE004476.
  4. ↑ Slipher Crater: Fractured Moon in 3-D, Published by Mark Robinson on 12 October 2010.
  5. ↑ Slipher, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)

Sources

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