Al-Khwarizmi (crater)

Al-Khwarizmi

Al-Khwarizmi from Apollo 16. NASA  photo.
Coordinates	7°06′N107°00′E / 7.1°N 107.0°E / 7.1; 107.0
Diameter	56 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	254° at sunrise
Eponym	Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

Oblique view from Apollo 11

Al-Khwarizmi is a lunar impact crater located on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southeast of the crater Moiseev, and northeast of Saenger. ^[1]

The western inner wall of Al-Khwarizmi is much wider than along the eastern side. The eastern rim overlays a pair of craters, including Al-Khwarizmi J. The outer wall is somewhat distorted from a circular shape, including a double-rim in the south. There is a small central peak at the midpoint, which forms part of a low ridge that bends to the northeast. Several tiny craterlets lie in the northern part of the interior floor. The floor to the southeast is somewhat smoother and free of significant impacts.

Al-Khwarizmi is a crater of Nectarian age. ^[2]

The crater was named for the Persian mathematician and astronomer Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. ^[3] The crater had previously been informally referred to as Arabia, such as during the Apollo 17 mission. ^[4]

Satellite craters

al-Khwarizmi and its 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 Al-Khwarizmi.

Al-Khwarizmi	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
B	9.0° N	107.4° E	62 km
G	6.9° N	107.1° E	95 km
H	6.0° N	109.2° E	50 km
J	6.2° N	107.6° E	47 km
K	4.6° N	107.6° E	26 km
L	3.9° N	107.4° E	35 km
M	3.1° N	107.0° E	18 km
T	7.0° N	104.5° E	15 km

• 
  Al-Khwarizmi K crater from Apollo 11

References

1. El-Baz, Farouk. "Al-Khwarizmi: A New-Found Basin on the Lunar Far Side". Science, New Series, Vol. 180, No. 4091 (Jun. 15, 1973), pp. 1173–1176. Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science.
2. The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 9-4.
3. "Al-Khwarizmi". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
4. Apollo 17 Preliminary Science Report (NASA Special Publication 330). Scientific and Technical Information Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C. 1973. Chapter 28.

• Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
• Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-81528-4.
• Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN   978-0-936389-27-1.
• McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report . Retrieved 2007-10-24.
• Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID   122125855.
• Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN   978-0-304-35469-6.
• Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-33500-3.
• Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN   978-0-913135-17-4.
• Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN   978-0-486-20917-3.
• Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-62248-6.
• Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN   978-1-85233-193-1.

External links

• Al-Khwarizmi at The Moon Wiki