Airy (lunar crater)

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Airy
Airy crater 4101 h2.jpg
Coordinates 18°08′S5°37′E / 18.14°S 5.61°E / -18.14; 5.61
Diameter 38.9 km (24.2 mi)
Depth 1.8 km
Colongitude 354° at sunrise
Eponym George B. Airy
LRO WAC mosaic Airy crater LRO WAC.jpg
LRO WAC mosaic
Oblique view from Apollo 14 Airy crater AS14-73-10079.jpg
Oblique view from Apollo 14
Vicinity of Airy, as viewed from the Bayfordbury Observatory Airy lunar crater map.jpg
Vicinity of Airy, as viewed from the Bayfordbury Observatory

Airy is a lunar impact crater located in the southern highlands. It is named in honour of British astronomer George Biddell Airy. [1] It forms the southernmost member of a chain of craters consisting of Vogel, Argelander, and Airy. A little further to the south lies Donati. Airy has a worn, and somewhat polygonal rim that it broken at the northern and southern ends. It has a fractured floor [2] and a central peak.

Contents

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 Airy.

AiryLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A17.0° S7.7° E13 km
B17.6° S8.5° E29 km
C19.3° S4.9° E34 km
D18.2° S8.5° E7 km
E20.7° S7.6° E38 km
F18.2° S7.3° E5 km
G18.7° S7.0° E25 km
H18.7° S5.8° E9 km
J19.0° S6.1° E4 km
L20.4° S7.5° E6 km
M19.2° S7.6° E1 km
N17.8° S8.2° E8 km
O16.7° S8.3° E5 km
P15.8° S8.4° E7 km
R19.6° S8.8° E7 km
S17.2° S9.4° E5 km
T19.2° S9.4° E40 km
V17.5° S9.2° E5 km
X18.9° S10.2° E4 km

References

  1. "Airy". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. The geologic history of the Moon, 1987, Wilhelms, Don E.; with sections by McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. USGS Professional Paper: 1348. (online)