Bellot (crater)

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Bellot
Bellot crater 4060 h2.jpg
Coordinates 12°24′S48°12′E / 12.4°S 48.2°E / -12.4; 48.2 Coordinates: 12°24′S48°12′E / 12.4°S 48.2°E / -12.4; 48.2
Diameter 17 km
Depth 2.2 km
Colongitude 312° at sunrise
Eponym Joseph R. Bellot
Oblique view facing south from Apollo 8 Bellot crater AS08-13-2221.jpg
Oblique view facing south from Apollo 8
Oblique view facing south from Apollo 16 Bellot crater AS16-M-0677.jpg
Oblique view facing south from Apollo 16

Bellot is a small lunar impact crater that is located on the southwest edge of Mare Fecunditatis. It lies between the craters Goclenius to the northwest and Crozier to the southeast. To the southwest is Colombo, and to the west is Magelhaens.

Lunar craters

Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, almost all of which were formed by impacts.

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.

Mare Fecunditatis lunar mare

Mare Fecunditatis is a lunar mare which is 840 km in diameter.

This crater is circular and bowl-shaped, with a small interior floor with inner sides that slope down relatively smoothly to the bottom. The inner walls have a higher albedo than the nearby lunar mare.

Albedo ratio of reflected radiation to incident radiation

Albedo is the measure of the diffuse reflection of solar radiation out of the total solar radiation received by an astronomical body. It is dimensionless and measured on a scale from 0 to 1.

Lunar mare large, dark, basaltic plains on Earths Moon

The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich composition, and hence appear dark to the naked eye. The maria cover about 16% of the lunar surface, mostly on the side visible from Earth. The few maria on the far side are much smaller, residing mostly in very large craters. The traditional nomenclature for the Moon also includes one oceanus (ocean), as well as features with the names lacus (lake), palus (marsh), and sinus (bay). The last three are smaller than maria, but have the same nature and characteristics.

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 Bellot.

BellotLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A13.4° S47.7° E8 km
B13.5° S47.8° E7 km

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Boss (crater) lunar impact crater

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Fizeau (crater) lunar crater

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Black (crater) lunar crater

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Brunner (crater) lunar crater

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Carmichael (crater) lunar crater

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Drude (crater) lunar crater

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Crozier (crater) impact crater on the Moon

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Elmer (crater) lunar crater

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Franz (crater) lunar crater

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Liebig (crater) impact crater

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Eichstadt (crater) impact crater

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Chalonge (crater) lunar crater

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Firsov (crater) lunar crater

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Sierpinski (crater) lunar crater

File:Sierpinski crater Sierpinski is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southeast of the huge walled plain Gagarin, and to the northwest of the crater O'Day and the Mare Ingenii.

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.