Cunningham (crater)

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Cunningham
Cunningham crater EN1010038848M.jpg
MESSENGER NAC image focused on Cunningham
Feature typeCentral-peak impact crater
Location Raditladi quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates 30°25′N202°56′W / 30.41°N 202.93°W / 30.41; -202.93
Diameter37 km (23 mi)
Eponym Imogen Cunningham

Cunningham is a young crater on the western floor of the Caloris Basin, on Mercury. It is surrounded by a bright ray system.

The crater's name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2008, shortly after its discovery on the first flyby of MESSENGER. It is named for the American photographer Imogen Cunningham. [1]

A confirmed dark spot is present in Cunningham crater. [2] This dark spot is associated with hollows.

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References

  1. "Cunningham". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA . Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  2. Zhiyong Xiao, Robert G. Strom, David T. Blewett, Paul K. Byrne, Sean C. Solomon, Scott L. Murchie, Ann L. Sprague, Deborah L. Domingue, Jörn Helbert, 2013. Dark spots on Mercury: A distinctive low-reflectance material and its relation to hollows. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets. doi.org/10.1002/jgre.20115