Dickens (crater)

Dickens

MESSENGER NAC image of Dickens
Feature type	Central-peak impact crater
Location	Bach quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates	72°54′S153°18′W / 72.9°S 153.3°W / -72.9; -153.3
Diameter	78 km (48 mi)
Eponym	Charles Dickens

Dickens is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 78 kilometers. ^[1] Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976. Dickens is named for the English novelist Charles Dickens, who lived from 1812 to 1870. ^[2] The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974. ^[3]

The crater Keats is north of Dickens, Han Kan is to the northeast, and Martí is to the southwest.

• 
  Mariner 10 image with Dickens right of center
• 
  Exaggerated color image by MESSENGER with Dickens right of center
• 
  Han Kan (bottom center), Van Gogh (upper left), and Dickens (right) craters

References

1. Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. Institute of Physics Publishing. ISBN   0-7503-0620-3.
2. "Dickens". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA . Retrieved 30 June 2012.
3. Davies, M. E.; Dwornik, S. E.; Gault, D. E.; Strom, R. G. (1978). Atlas of Mercury. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. pp. 1–128. ISBN   978-1-114-27448-8. Special Publication SP-423.