Alden (crater)

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Alden
AS15-88-11986.jpg
Lunar crater Alden from Apollo 15. NASA image.
Coordinates 23°36′S110°48′E / 23.6°S 110.8°E / -23.6; 110.8 Coordinates: 23°36′S110°48′E / 23.6°S 110.8°E / -23.6; 110.8
Diameter 104 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 250° at sunrise
Eponym Harold Alden
Lunar Orbiter 3 image, facing southeast Alden crater 3121 med.jpg
Lunar Orbiter 3 image, facing southeast

Alden is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, between Hilbert to the north-northwest and Milne to the south-southeast. To the south-southwest lies Scaliger.

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.

Hilbert (crater) impact crater

Hilbert is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, just past the southeast limb. It is named for German mathematician David Hilbert. It lies just beyond the region of the surface that is occasionally brought into view due to libration, and so this feature cannot be observed directly from the Earth.

Alden has a low rim that is overlain in the north and northeast by Alden C and the smaller Alden E. The rim is worn and eroded, especially along the southern wall. The floor is somewhat irregular and pitted. The small crater Alden V lies just inside the north rim, and is attached to Alden C to the east.

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 Alden.

AldenLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
B20.5° S112.6° E17 km
C22.5° S111.4° E50 km
E23.2° S112.4° E28 km
V22.5° S110.1° E19 km

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Appleton (crater) lunar crater

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Dawson (crater) crater

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Bohr (crater) lunar crater

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Borda (crater) lunar crater

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Bell (crater) lunar crater

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Baldet (lunar crater) impact crater

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Barbier (crater) lunar crater

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Blanchard (crater) lunar crater

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Casatus (crater) impact crater

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Demonax (crater) impact crater

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Comstock (crater) lunar crater

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Franz (crater) lunar crater

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Dziewulski (crater) lunar crater

Dziewulski is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies between the craters Edison to the north and Popov to the south. The outer rim of this crater has been considerably worn by impacts, particularly along the southwest quadrant where the satellite crater Dziewulski Q overlies the rim and the interior floor. The northern rim is also heavily disrupted, and several small crater lie along the southeast rim. The interior floor and surrounding terrain has been resurfaced.

Eötvös (crater) lunar crater

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Fersman (crater) lunar crater

Fersman is a large lunar impact crater on the Moon's far side. It lies to the east of the crater Poynting, and west-northwest of Weyl. To the south is the huge walled plain Hertzsprung.

Fowler (crater) impact 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.