Langevin (crater)

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Langevin
Langevin LROC.jpg
LRO WAC image
Coordinates 44°18′N162°42′E / 44.3°N 162.7°E / 44.3; 162.7 Coordinates: 44°18′N162°42′E / 44.3°N 162.7°E / 44.3; 162.7
Diameter 58 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 198° at sunrise
Eponym Paul Langevin
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image, facing west Langevin crater 5053 med.jpg
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image, facing west

Langevin is a crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the east of the walled plain Campbell, and to the west of the crater Chandler.

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.

Moon Earths natural satellite

Earth's Moon is an astronomical body that orbits the planet and acts as its only permanent natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits. The Moon is, after Jupiter's satellite Io, the second-densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known.

Campbell (lunar crater) impact crater

Campbell is a large lunar impact crater that is located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the walled plain D'Alembert, an even larger formation. If Campbell were located on the near side of the Moon as seen from the Earth, it would form one of the largest visible craters, being slightly larger than Schickard. It is bordered by several craters of note, with Wiener to the southwest, Von Neumann just to the south, Ley overlying the southeast rim, and Pawsey to the west.

This is a heavily damaged crater that has been worn and battered by multiple overlapping impacts. Apart from the depression Langevin creates in the surface, it is scarcely distinguishable from the surrounding terrain. The outer rim and interior features have lost much of their original definition due to this wear. Multiple small craters lie along the rim, including a cluster along the southwest and a crater along the northeast rim. The interior is pock-marked by many small craterlets.

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 Langevin.

LangevinLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
C46.4° N165.5° E19 km

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Slipher (lunar crater) lunar crater

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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.