![]() Lunar Orbiter 4 image showing Baily (upper left) and Baily A (lower right) | |
Coordinates | 49°42′N30°24′E / 49.7°N 30.4°E Coordinates: 49°42′N30°24′E / 49.7°N 30.4°E |
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Diameter | 26 km |
Depth | None |
Colongitude | 330° at sunrise |
Eponym | Francis Baily |
Baily is the remnant of a lunar impact crater on the boundary between Mare Frigoris to the north and Lacus Mortis to the south. The crater interior has been flooded by lava in the past, and only the northern half of the crater rim remains relatively intact. There is an outward bulge in the northeastern rim, possibly the remnant of another crater formation that once overlapped Baily. The crater interior is flat and relatively featureless, with no impacts of significance. The surviving outer rim reaches a maximum elevation of about 0.5 km.
The nearest crater of note is Bürg to the south-southwest. Further to the west is the prominent Aristoteles.
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Baily.
Baily | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
A | 48.6° N | 31.3° E | 16 km |
B | 51.0° N | 35.1° E | 7 km |
K | 51.5° N | 30.5° E | 3 km |
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.
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.
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.