Gullstrand (crater)

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Gullstrand
Gullstrand crater LROC.jpg
LRO image
Coordinates 45°12′N129°18′W / 45.2°N 129.3°W / 45.2; -129.3 Coordinates: 45°12′N129°18′W / 45.2°N 129.3°W / 45.2; -129.3
Diameter 43 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 130° at sunrise
Eponym Allvar Gullstrand
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image Gullstrand crater 5028 h3.jpg
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image
Highly oblique view facing west, also from Lunar Orbiter 5 Gullstrand crater 5015 h3.jpg
Highly oblique view facing west, also from Lunar Orbiter 5

Gullstrand is a lunar impact crater that lies on the northern hemisphere on the Moon's far side. About one crater diameter to the southeast is the larger crater Perrine. To the west-southwest is Quetelet.

Lunar craters

Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, almost all of which were formed by impacts.

Impact crater Circular depression on a solid astronomical body formed by a hypervelocity impact of a smaller object

An impact crater is an approximately circular depression in the surface of a planet, moon, or other solid body in the Solar System or elsewhere, formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller body. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters typically have raised rims and floors that are lower in elevation than the surrounding terrain. Impact craters range from small, simple, bowl-shaped depressions to large, complex, multi-ringed impact basins. Meteor Crater is a well-known example of a small impact crater on Earth.

Sphere round geometrical and circular object in three-dimensional space; special case of spheroid

A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space that is the surface of a completely round ball.

This crater has a circular rim that is relatively well-defined, and has only been moderately worn. A small, bell-shaped crater forms a break through the rim to the southwest, and a small craterlet is attached to the southeastern side along the rim of Gullstrand. An oddly shaped small crater feature is attached to the eastern edge. There are also tiny craters along the rim of Gullstrand along the northern and southern edges.

The inner walls of Gullstrand are relatively simple and featureless, and the interior floor is not marked by any craters of note. There is a low central ridge at the midpoint.

Gullstrand lies at the approximate margin of the Coulomb-Sarton Basin, a 530 km wide impact crater of Pre-Nectarian age.

Coulomb-Sarton Basin

The Coulomb-Sarton Basin is a Pre-Nectarian impact basin on the far side of the moon. It is named after the crater Coulomb northeast of the center of the basin and the smaller crater Sarton just south of the center. The basin is not obvious on the lunar surface. There are only small fragments of inner rings and a rim, and the most indicative topographic feature is a smooth, low plain at the center.

The pre-Nectarian period of the lunar geologic timescale runs from 4.533 billion years ago to 3.920 billion years ago, when the Nectaris Basin was formed by a large impact. It is followed by the Nectarian period.

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 Gullstrand.

GullstrandLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
C46.8° N126.6° W15 km

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References

Ewen Whitaker British astronomer

Ewen Adair Whitaker was a British-born astronomer who specialized in lunar studies. During World War II he was engaged in quality control for the lead sheathing of hollow cables strung under the English Channel as part of the "Pipe Line Under The Ocean" Project (PLUTO) to supply gasoline to Allied military vehicles in France. After the war, he obtained a position at the Royal Greenwich Observatory working on the UV spectra of stars, but became interested in lunar studies. As a sideline, Whitaker drew and published the first accurate chart of the South Polar area of the Moon in 1954, and served as director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association.

NASA space-related agency of the United States government

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

United States Geological Survey Scientific agency of the United States government

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.