Futabatei (crater)

Futabatei

MESSENGER mosaic of Futabei and surrounding regions
Feature type	Central-peak impact crater
Location	Beethoven quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates	16°03′S83°31′W / 16.05°S 83.52°W / -16.05; -83.52
Diameter	57 km (35 mi)
Eponym	Futabatei Shimei

Futabatei crater at a low sun angle

Futabatei is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 57 kilometers. ^[1] Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Futabatei is named for the Japanese novelist Futabatei Shimei, who lived from 1864 to 1909. ^[2] The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974. ^[3]

Futabatei is one of the largest craters of the Kuiperian system on Mercury. The largest is Bartók crater. ^[4]

Futabatei is east of the larger Sullivan crater, and northwest of the large basin Raphael.

References

1. Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. Institute of Physics Publishing. ISBN   0-7503-0620-3.
2. "Futabatei". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. IAU/NASA/USGS . Retrieved 22 November 2024.
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.
4. Denevi, B. W., Ernst, C. M., Prockter, L. M., and Robinson, M. S., 2018. The Geologic History of Mercury. In Mercury: The View After MESSENGER edited by Sean C. Solomon, Larry R. Nittler, and Brian J. Anderson. Cambridge Planetary Science. Chapter 6, Table 6.4.