Gauricus (crater)

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Gauricus
Gauricus crater 4119 h3.jpg
Coordinates 33°48′S12°36′W / 33.8°S 12.6°W / -33.8; -12.6 Coordinates: 33°48′S12°36′W / 33.8°S 12.6°W / -33.8; -12.6
Diameter 79 km
Depth 2.7 km
Colongitude 14° at sunrise
Eponym Luca Gaurico

Gauricus is a lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged southern part of the Moon's near side. It was named after Italian astronomer Luca Gaurico. [1] Nearly attached to the western rim is the heavily eroded crater Wurzelbauer, and to the north-northwest lies Pitatus.

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.

Moon Earths natural satellite

Earth's Moon is an astronomical body that orbits the planet and acts as its only permanent natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits. The Moon is, after Jupiter's satellite Io, the second-densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known.

The rim of this crater has become worn and eroded by subsequent impacts, resulting in a round-shouldered outer wall that is pock-marked by a number of lesser craters. The most notable of these are Gauricus B and Gauricus D along the southern rim and Gauricus G intrudes into the eastern rim. The worn satellite crater Gauricus A is attached to the exterior rim along the south-southwest.

In contrast, the interior floor is relatively level and featureless. Only the merged crater formation Gauricus F, lying along the northern rim, marks the floor. The bottom is covered by wisps of ray material from Tycho to the south.

Ray system

A ray system comprises radial streaks of fine ejecta thrown out during the formation of an impact crater, looking somewhat like many thin spokes coming from the hub of a wheel. The rays may extend for lengths up to several times the diameter of their originating crater, and are often accompanied by small secondary craters formed by larger chunks of ejecta. Ray systems have been identified on the Moon, Earth, Mercury, and some moons of the outer planets. Originally it was thought that they existed only on planets or moons lacking an atmosphere, but more recently they have been identified on Mars in infrared images taken from orbit by 2001 Mars Odyssey's thermal imager.

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 Gauricus.

GauricusLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A35.6° S13.4° W38 km
B35.3° S12.2° W23 km
C35.2° S10.7° W11 km
D35.1° S11.4° W13 km
E32.5° S11.8° W7 km
F33.0° S12.6° W12 km
G33.9° S11.0° W18 km
H38.1° S13.3° W8 km
J32.3° S11.9° W10 km
K33.3° S13.9° W5 km
L34.0° S13.8° W4 km
M34.4° S13.6° W6 km
N32.4° S12.7° W7 km
P35.1° S12.4° W6 km
R34.8° S13.3° W6 km
S33.9° S10.1° W15 km

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References

  1. "Gauricus (crater)" . Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
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.

Ben J. Bussey is an American planetary scientist.